Of the Heart
by MarieElana
Summary: A romance story written by me and my boyfriend...In an alternate Reality, two people meet, Marie and Spirit... soon they find themselves falling for eachother, and an adventure unfurls before them...
1. Chapter 1

By the city's edge, on a cliff overlooking the ocean, a cat like being, ears folded down stared up at the blanket of stars. His tail twitched, as he sighed, rubbing his hand through yellow bangs.

"She's out there..." he thought, the twinkling of starlight reflecting in his blue eyes like crystals "somewhere..." a brief silence passed, interrupted by a deep breath "It's getting late... I better head back..." The feline turned around, walking towards the city with arms casually folded behind his head, when suddenly, sudden pain surged through his body, a blow from behind. Many creatures of darkness surrounded him in an ambush.

"What are these things?" he asked himself, backing away. They were barely visible in the night, but their yellow eyes shone through like headlights. Each of them prepared to attack, and their dark presence slowly drained the boy of his energy. Before he passed out, something struck one of the shadowy creatures. As his eyes shut, he made out the blurry vision of an angel, or so he thought. Laying motionless for a while, he awoke to a blue aura surrounding him, and a young girl kneeling next to him with her hands above his chest.

"Who... Are you?"

"..." she stood in silence, backing away cautiously, she saved his life, yet she feared him at first. As she stepped back, he couldn't help himself but to rise to his feet and say "Wait!"

She turned around, ready to flee as a pain shot through her side, a straggling shadow from the rest of the group remained, one that was missed. It caught her off-guard, striking again with a mighty 'thwack!', but she countered its third attack as the creature sent out a wave of darkness. Spirit felt like leaping into battle to assist, but suddenly realized the darkness pulsed as the waves dispersed in blue light, causing the creature to disintegrate as the stranger fell to the ground. As she stared up, her eyes dilated in the pain, as she looked on in fear at Spirit.

"It's okay, I just want to help you." she looked deeply into his eyes, and could see he was telling the truth. "My name's Spirit, by the way."

"Marie." she replied timidly.

"My place is right by here. The least I can do is give you a home while you recover." he shyly walked over and lifted her into his arms, as short as the boy was, Marie was somewhat smaller. She smiled weakly as he blushed slightly, but still holding her gently.

His house seemed like nothing more than a run-down shopping mall, but with small touches to make it seem more like a home.

"Your house is really big." Marie said as Spirit carried her in and laid her down on a couch.

"I just expected to have a lot of new friends here, but it doesn't seem like I have any..."

"Oh..." she closed her eyes, purring slightly.

"Thanks for the help... at first, I thought you were a Feina... but seeing how you're not corrupt..." she paused "You must be of another race..."

He nodded "Never heard of Feinas..."

She opened her eyes once again, dark blue like two deep pools of water, almost entrancing as he stared on into them.

"Erm..." she blinked, finding this odd until he realized and blushed slightly. As she tried to reach out to him, she said "I'll be your friend..." and smiled before blacking out. Spirit couldn't sleep that night. He kept wondering what those black creatures were, and why Marie appeared. Though he found no connections between the two, Spirit was happy knowing that he now had a friend. The next morning, Marie awoke to the pleasant smell of food from her bedside. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she caught sight of a stack of waffles.

"I hope you like 'em... I don't have the ingredients to make anything else." Spirit said from in front of her. "They're my favorite! How did you know?"

"Lucky guess, but it seemed like you would like them." Spirit seemed happy, but showing it more in his eyes. She sat up, throwing off the bed sheets as she hopped out of bed, snowy white feet hitting the floor. She noticed her shoes left by her bedside and eagerly ran to the table, sitting across from Spirit with a stack of waffles, taking little time to finish her plate as Spirit stared on wide eyed "Hungry, aren't ya?"

She shook her head "No, I just like the taste of waffles...My body doesn't exactly rely on food..." She forced a smile, as she wiped away some syrup melted butter from her whiskers "This is good stuff!"

She started to try and clean away the syrup from her face, making a sticky mess in her cheek fur as she was handed a wet clothe "There's something about you that seems... Unique. Ever since I was young, it felt as-though I could see into people's hearts... It might sound weird, and I wouldn't be surprised if you don't believe me." Marie looked at Spirit, noticing a certain power about him.

"I don't think it's weird. Maybe you just don't know who you are."

He seemed surprised, as if now noticing "It's you... You're the one I dreamt about on Zarconia!"

She tilted her head "You... saw me in your dreams?" He nodded slightly, as she pondered "I.. never met you before coming here, but when I look into your eyes, I feel as if I've known you for the longest time..." she smiled "Ah well, let's not keep our minds on the mysteries of life too much... look to the future, but don't forget to keep your head in the present... or was it the clouds?"

She began pondering over nothing, causing Spirit to chuckle slightly. He started to figure out, 'she's just like a little kid...' her care-free attitude, cheeriness, optimism, and of course, innocence, he couldn't help but smile about it.

"I just wish I knew what those black things were that attacked us."

"They're called the Heartless... I don't know much else about them..."

Spirit knew there was something she wasn't telling him, but didn't want to make her uncomfortable by asking.

"I wonder what they were doing there... It seemed like they were guarding something." he snapped back to reality and smiled "Oh well, no use thinking about it now."

"Let's just hope they won't attack again..." she smiled in glee "Don't worry if they do! I'll protect you! Anything for a friend..."

"And I'll try to help you when you need it..." he said, nodding with a slight hint of red on his cheeks. For a few weeks, they never saw any more attacks, and kept their mind off them, enjoying each other. Marie developed this odd habit at night, coming into Spirit's room and curling up on his bed, laying her head on his stomach, whenever he asked why, she said "Kitties make softer pillows..."

Meanwhile, Spirit would bring Marie to places in the city, and to one of his favorite spots, the cliff that overlooked the sea. They would both lie back in the grass, and stare at the night sky, he never thought that anyone could appreciate the view as much as he did, but Marie proved wrong.

"This place is beautiful... Thanks for bringing me." she said with her head on Spirit's stomach(a habit he came to enjoy).

"I know. It reminds me a lot of my home planet, so I try to come here whenever I can." he closed his eyes, letting out a deep breath, listening to the waves crash against the rocks below. But as he started to relax, he suddenly heard something that didn't seem of this world. As Spirit opened his eyes, he noticed what looked like floating armor pieces. Marie saw it too, and pushed Spirit out of the way of its large feet.

"Is that a Heartless!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, you can see the symbol on its chest."

Marie then summoned a pair of energy daggers and drove them into the creature's hands. They both exploded into dark wisps, but the Heartless wasn't phased by this. It separated its parts and surrounded her on all sides.

"Spirit, run!" she had a glow in her eye that he never seen before, as she dove off the cliff, into the waves. Before anyone could think, the water began to swirl, becoming a whirl pool. Spirit's first thought was that she got caught in a rip tide, and was ready to jump in after her, even if he couldn't swim. Before he could do such a thing, a whirlpool rose among the waves, into the sky. The tip crashed into the heartless, as Spirit backed a distance away, a bit of water splashing on his fur. He blinked as water dripped from his bangs, and floating before him was Marie. Her wings didn't flap, yet she was suspended in the sky, with her staff, emitting a light that caused the rest of the armor to fall apart. As she descended to him, she opened her eyes, the original color they once were as she grabbed his hand.

"We have to get out of here!"

"Well, well, well... If it isn't the water goddess and a Zarconian child." a sinister voice echoed from around them. Marie was suddenly stricken with pain, but Spirit caught her as she fell.

"Who are you, and what did you do to Marie!"

"Who am I... I am the darkness that lives within people's hearts. Some call me the devil, others know me as the Grim Reaper..." A mass of dark energy appeared in front of them, and took the shape of a fully cloaked figure. A pair of ghastly yellow eyes opened and stared angrily at them "But you may know me as Zeetan."

As Marie struggled to stand, the pair of yellow eyes sent Spirit into some shock, leaving him immobile. "Spirit!" she yelled to him as if he was a distance away"Wake up!"

He couldn't hear her, gasping for breath, he fell to the ground, leaving her to defend them both off from the dark entity. With a growl, she held up her staff, running at him to strike, but met a dark wave of energy coming at her, shocking her as she forced it away with blue light.

Meanwhile, in the back of his mind, he was surrounded by darkness. Before him, a ray of light flickered, shining upon a sword in a pedestal. He was drawn to it, hearing a voice.

"Do you accept your destiny, young Gaia? To protect those you care and love for?"

He nodded, Marie on his mind as he laid his hand upon the hilt.

"Draw the blade... from its resting place!"

Without hesitation, Spirit reached out and drew the sword, his body surrounded by a blue aura that seemed to be giving the blade power.

"Go now... The one you care for needs you."

With that, Spirit awoke from his dream-like state and turned to face Zeetan. He had Marie by the throat with a spectral hand, she struggled against it as he laughed maniacally, letting dark energy flow around the two.

"Let her go." Spirit said in a righteous tone.

"This is a treat; it seems the mortal boy has feelings for the deity." Zeetan laughed. Spirit held out his hand, and a dual-bladed sword materialized in it that sent the dark one into shock.

"That sword! It's impossible! This weak little boy is the Gaia of Heart's son!"

Spirit held the sword, ready to strike.

"The goddess can wait... In my current state, the sword would decimate me."

He immediately let Marie go, letting her limp body fall to the ground as he phased into the shadows, leaving Spirit in worry.

"Please, don't be dead!" he rushed by her body, tears forming slightly "You're the greatest person I know!" Though she remained lifeless, something inside told him that she was still there, still alive, He picked her up, and her body shivered as her hand clung to his shirt, opening her eyes. He sighed slightly in relief; she survived.

"Spirit... Am I really the greatest person you know?"

"Of course you are. You're my best friend, and..." he paused, and blushed intensely "I love you!" he said quickly. Spirit turned away from her out of embarrassment, drops of sweat moving down his fur. Just then, he felt some thing on his cheek; a kiss. He turned to look at Marie, but she passed out, purring softly in his arms. He smiled with tears of joy in his eyes "Whatever lies ahead, we'll face it together."

He carried her home, laid her in his own bed, at this point, he worried that Zeetan would attack again, and didn't want anyone to take her away. As he stared up at the ceiling, hands crossed behind back, he began to wonder.

"Deity? Gaia of Heart?" he looked down to her, sleeping peacefully "Could she possibly be?"

He pondered on, letting out a yawn. The sword disappeared after battle, and he wondered if it could be summoned. Either way, sword or not, he was determined to keep her safe.


	2. Chapter 2

Spirit stayed up the entire time, and was tired beyond belief. He was about to get something to drink, but something tackled him from behind and sent him to the floor.

"I was right, you are glompable!" Spirit's ears perked, and he looked behind to see Marie.

"You're okay!" he said joyously.

"You looked after me, so of course I'm okay!" she hugged him affectionately and then helped him back up. "I thought I had lost you..." he said, teary eyed.

"You could never lose me..." her voice faded slightly as her mood changed "I have a confession..."

"?" Spirit's ears perked slightly in curiosity.

"What Zeetan said was true..." she continued "I am... not a mortal... I am the goddess of water from my planet... I can never die, truly... and I am ageless... immortal... but it seems you are a Gaia..."

He looked over, remembering Zeetan's last remark "Son of the Gaia of heart... while deities created the universe, it was the Gaia's job to protect the universe..."

"I know who the Gaias are. They're a part of our beliefs on Zarconia... I just can't believe I am one." Spirit went silent, trying to grasp all that had happened "That demon... I think he's the same one from the battle for existence that happened around the beginning of time."

Marie shrugged "I could tell you, but most of my memories from that time have been wiped away."

Spirit looked at Marie and smiled. "Whoever he is, we'll stop him together."

"Yes..." she held his hand "But first, we both need rest... I can tell by the rings in your eyes that you stayed up for me... and I am not fully recovered..."

He nodded, heading back to the bed as she curled up by him with a smile "We'll worry about Zeetan later..."

Sleep came rather fast for them both, as they shared an ominous dream. Through the darkness, they struggled, wrapping itself around their body, binding them, until each reached out towards one another, and both hands touched. A light surrounded them, shielding from the darkness, and they smiled at one another, what started as a nightmare ended in a pleasant dream. Surely, this was a sign of the light prevailing. Soon the dream ended, as Spirit woke up to prepare waffles as usual, Marie waking up by the smell of the griddle

"I hope you're not tired of these yet." he said, as they sat together at the table. Without speaking, Marie went through the stack like a wood chipper.

"Guess you're not." he laughed.

"I could never get tired of these!" As Spirit watched her, he kept wondering if she remembered what he said the night before. He was too shy to ask, but something inside told him she did. She interrupted his thoughts "You know, Zeetan will probably be a lot more powerful when we see him again. It might be good if we found some friends to help out."

Spirit nodded, wondering if she already had some people in mind.

"And I know the perfect way to travel the universe!" she said, showing a hand enveloped in blue "like most Klonians, I am a master of dimension traveling!" she said with a wink "And I think there's someone who can help..." she said, taking a sip of milk "It is said that the wielder of the Keyblade has the power to lock the heart of worlds... so the worlds don't get taken over by heartless... I caught legend of this on Traverse Town... a world parallel distant from earth...but with my portal, we can cross over in seconds... someone there may be able to point us out in the right direction.." she paused "But Traverse Town is one of the worlds where heartless reside..."

Spirit shook his head. "So is this one, apparently. Let's go to Traverse Town and find a way to stop them." Marie looked pleased with his determination, and focused her energy into a blue portal. Spirit hopped through, and Marie followed, disappearing into the vortex. They ended up in the middle of a night-drenched city, with nothing but a few lamps and shop windows for light. Spirit stared at the old European style buildings, trying to spot anyone they could talk to.

"Looks almost deserted."

Marie nodded "Ever since the gateways between the worlds were sealed, not many come to this place." "But few still do." a mysterious voice said. Spirit and Marie whipped around, only to see a man in a black cloak. Marie worked up her confidence, and approached.

"Scuse me, Mister" she said "We were wondering if the wielder of the Keyblade was around this town... like someone who has known or see him..." she paused, wondering if this stranger could be trusted "The heartless have returned... as well as a horrible power..and we need help..." her voice started sounding a little timid, this figure standing tall, the mysterious air that surrounded him, as she stepped closer to Spirit "You think we can trust him?"

"I don't know..." he whispered in her ear. The man lifted back his hood, revealing his red, spiked hair. "Sure, I know where you can find him." he said in a sly tone. "There's a nearby world called Twilight Town. He should be there."

Marie stepped out cautiously from behind Spirit. "Umm... Thanks."

"No problem, and the name's Axel." He then lifted his hood up and disappeared like he was merely an illusion.

"Let's be careful, he could be leading us into a trap." Marie said and created another portal as they jumped through like before. Emerging in a new world, they found a magnificent city, drenched in the red hews of sunset. Marie stared on wide-eyed

"This place is beautiful!"

Spirit nodded "I wouldn't mind having a home here if it wasn't for the one we have in the city..."

She smiled, sniffing the air, as she spotted a few cloaked figures in the distance "Hmm, maybe they are friends of Axel? They sure dress the same!"

She waved out to them, catching their attention as she called out to them, but then noticed their sun glazed eyes and cold stares.

"M-meep..."

They all moved in, seemingly hovering above the ground. One came forward with a massive tomahawk, but it was blocked by something. A young boy now stood before them, holding a key-like sword.

"You two okay?" he asked. The boy then repelled the massive weapon, and struck the wielder with the key. The man vanished, leaving nothing but his cloak behind. All the others saw this and vanished into the shadows.

"Those creeps shouldn't bother us anymore." he said "By the way, my name's Sora."

Both Spirit and Marie could tell he was who they were looking for.

"So, you're the keyblade master?"

"Sure am!"

"Yay!" she cheered, glomping Spirit in glee "We found him!"

Sora stared on, scratching his head at the blushing Zarconian as he smiled "So what do you two need me for?"

"Oh, yes..." Marie composed herself "The Heartless have returned"

"!"

"As well as Zeetan... a terribly strong, dark force... we were able to avoid our demise from him by some miracle..." she added.

"But it's up to us and anyone who can help to take control and stop Zeetan!" Spirit said "We need people who are masters of combat, and able to fend away the darkness... seeing how you're the wielder of the keyblade... will you be our friend?"

"I dunno what combat has to do with friendship, but sure." Spirit and Sora shook hands, but as they did, a swarm of Heartless appeared from behind. They all had wings, and wore flight goggles.

"Air Soldiers!" Sora exclaimed. Suddenly, Spirit's sword appeared in his hand, arriving out of necessity. Sora was surprised, but knew that this wasn't a time to ask questions. The three began to hack away at the Heartless, not noticing their sheer numbers. As the last were vanquished, they all stopped and breathed heavily.

"You two... Are really good..." Sora panted.

"Of course..." Marie breathed deeply, her lungs burning from the work as she smiled "but it surprised me that Spirit here has picked up the art of combat this quickly... he's better than me only after a few days of practice, while I on the other hand have been fighting for years..."

"Awww, I could never be better than you" Spirit said, forcing a smile, blushing up "I saw you in combat, and not a lot of enemies could handle that typhoon you threw!"

"Yeah..." she paused, looking to Sora "You're quite the fighter too, and this is much more than combat... there is a special bond when fighters band together to vanquish evil... and as friends think alike, making them able to work as a team..."

"Yeah, I know what that's like." Sora said, trying to stand up.

"Let's get back home now." Marie summoned another portal, and signaled for Sora to go through.

"Beats the heck out of the Gummi ship." he stepped into it without second thought, and Spirit and Marie did the same. Once they arrived, Sora looked through the house with a sense of amazement "All you need is an arcade, and this place would be perfect." Spirit shook his head "No, there's something else that already makes it perfect." Spirit said, giving Marie a glance.

She nodded, blushing in glee "But this place could use a bit of touching up, if we're going to have more people here! I wonder what we could do? First it would be good to get more ingredients, I'm sure that we couldn't eat waffles for breakfast, lunch and dinner for weeks on end..." she chuckled "Not even I can do that!"

He paused, then nodded "There should be a food market somewhere in the city..."

He then looked somewhat worried "Problem is, I don't have much money."

Marie now had the same look on her face "That is a problem."

Sora reached into his pockets, and pulled out a few golden spheres "When you travel between worlds as-much as me, it comes in handy to have some extra cash."

Spirit smiled happily at this "That solves the money issue; now for ways to make this place seem more like home."

Marie sat a moment, rubbing her chin "Maybe a rec room!" she said "You know, a tv with video games, dart board... corner with a shelf of books and magazines... bean bag chairs! Oh, and we couldn't forget a pool table!" she thought, already laying out plans in her head "That room can be painted green, the kitchen can stay as it is, with an added pantry of course!" she became more eager with every detail "That room can be a lounge, having a television..." She just felt so full of ideas, Spirit could tell. "This room needs some furniture, purple colored, a few posters in your room! And let's add a few beds to each room as a guest room!" she paused, finally taking a breath from talking too much as she calmed "And of course... my bedroom... Spirit..." she looked to him "I want to live with you..."

He blushed intensely at these words, but was also extremely happy "Sure, you can live here..."

Marie could tell he was really shy, but glomped him out of habit. Spirit looked at her and smiled, hints of red still in his cheeks.

"Second thought, cancel the bean bag chairs, you're soft enough." she said while petting him on the head. Spirit couldn't help but purr from this, even if the situation was uncomfortable for him.

"Reminds me of Kairi and me." Sora thought to himself.

"Oh yeah..." Marie blushed, realizing he was watching as she forced a smile "I was here a few weeks... but now, I actually want to settle down with you for good..." she said, as Sora handed her his golden spheres "You two can build a pantry, I'll go to buy the food and paint, then we set to work tomorrow!"

They nodded, as she ran out the door, leaving them two to set to work. She returned a few hours later with a wagon full of an assortment of meats, vegetables, fruits, and spices, and a few cans of paint with brushes. As she entered inside, she said "I'm back" with a hint of cheer, handing Sora the leftover money, as she began to sort out and carried foods to the pantry. Spirit helped her out by nature, and then went to help Sora paint. The two finished surprisingly fast, and he decided to celebrate with a big meal. "How did you become such a good cook?" Marie asked.

"When your 'parents' are an abusive king and queen, you learn how to do things on your own very quickly."

She nodded, as the three ate a great feast, and with full stomachs, headed off to bed. Since there was only a bed and a couch, Spirit and Marie had to share that night, but they got used to it by now, end even started to enjoy the habit Marie developed. As night approached fast, they both talked, of the present, of how they first met, and mostly, of their future plans.


	3. Chapter 3

Spirit awoke the next morning to the sight of Marie laying on his stomach, still asleep, but happily purring. With no desire to wake her, he just lay there with his head against a pillow, thinking about what would happen next. She awoke a few minutes later with a gentle yawn, and curled up next to Spirit. He blushed, as usual, but was deeply overjoyed. He could tell by the way Marie acted, and the way she looked at him, that she felt the same for him as he did about her.

"Mornin'..." she said with a smile, wanting to lay there and preserve this moment of happiness. She let out another yawn and blinked, still purring. Even though they were both awake, they wanted to stay on the bed and enjoy the moment, the birds chirping, the sunlight that crept through the window, it could only be described as heaven.

Eventually, Marie sat up, stretching her arms as she looked to Spirit, ready to get on with the day "Today we get some furniture! I betcha there's some nice ones in storage in the Cryssnan Temple..." she said "Kina can help us transport it! I'm sure she'll love to meet ya!"

"Kina?" Spirit asked.

"The goddess of fire." Marie answered happily "However, we might have to disguise you. You look a lot like a Feina, and the Klonians aren't trusting of them."

Spirit nodded nervously, wondering what she had in mind.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna' dye your fur or anything. We just need to hide what you look like until we reach the temple." Marie petted him gently, calming him a bit as she did.

"Okay, but I would have done all that for you."

"Hmmm... simple illusion magic..." she raised a hand to him, as his body seemed to change before him "You'll look different, but you're taking on no change... this spell should last til we get there..."  
Spirit looked down at himself, his tail shortened and less bushy, his fur, black, and he felt a pair of long ears brush his side.  
"See, that didn't hut, did it?" she asked, petting him again and receiving a nod "Onto my homeworld! Cryssna!"  
Marie waved both hands enveloped in blue, tearing a hole in the air, as Spirit leapt inside and she followed. They both appeared in the middle of a eutopian city, rich with vegetation, and full of natural beauty. Spirit gazed around, eyes wide with amazement.

"It looks so much like Zarconia!"

. Marie smiled, and pointed to a temple in the center of the city "That's where we want to go. Kina will probably be there already" she took Spirit by the hand, interlacing her fingers with his, and led him toward the Temple. As they walked through the city, he gazed on in amazement. Klonians were all about, children playing tag on the streets, traders and merchants of every type shouting out deals and bargains as they approached the temple grounds. Canals flowed around the city, providing water to its people, as well as the lush vegetation and gardens around the temple, filled with wild flowers, emptying out into a pond, filled with lilies. Soon the cobblestone ended into earthy trail, lined with many wild flowers of every color and scent imaginable. Marie closed her eyes, taking in the scents that tickled her nose, Spirit did as well, as they continued onward towards her home. They walked on and on, hand in hand, as in the distance, a temple could be seen, towering over the gardens of Cryssna, surrounded by forests. They both entered, just as the spell wore off. Spirit returned to his normal self, which Marie seemed to like better.

Just then, they were greeted by another Klonian girl. Her physical form appeared to be in the teens, and her clothes were the color of flame.

"Don't worry, he's not a Feina." Marie said before she could react.

"He doesn't seem like he is. Even if he was, I know you don't befriend anyone evil."

Marie turned back to Spirit, and happily introduced the two.

"Kina, this is my bo... Err... Friend, Spirit."

Kina chuckled a little. "Are you sure he's just a friend?" she asked, hoping to hear some juicy details. Both Spirit and Marie blushed at this, not knowing what to say.

"Heh" she chuckled, patting Marie "The littlest goddess has fallen in love, just don't tell Ben... you know how he gets..."  
"What do you mean, 'how I get'?" a dark Klonian phased behind Spirit, glaring him down with red eyes, huffing in his face. Spirit backed away a bit in fear as Marie pulled on his arm, trying to distract Bendilen.

"We need some leftover furniture from the temple, to be brought to earth... at these coordinates" she began whispering instructions into his ear as Bendilen sighed and walked off, doing whatever she asked him. When he was out of sight, Marie let out a sigh of relief.

"That's the God of Chaos, Bendilen... he doesn't warm up well to mortals..."

"I can see that..." Spirit looked as-if he'd rather take his chances with Zeetan.

"Bendilen is really a nice guy, he's just mistrusting of mortals." the fire deity explained. Marie looked at Kina, a look of curiosity in her eyes "Looks like you have a thing for him." she said with an evil snicker. Kina blushed this time, but tried to cover it up.

"Spirit, you can wait here. Kina and I are going to help Bendilen." The two then walked off, leaving Spirit feeling left out. After a good half an hour of creating portals and lifting furniture, Marie and Kina finished their job, wiping away some sweat. She looked to her friend and smiled "Thanks, our home needs touching up..."  
"Yeah" she chuckled "Never thought I'd see you settling down..." she teased as Marie blushed "Let's keep this between us"  
Meanwhile, as Spirit looked around the temple, Bendilen snuck up on him, lifting the Gaia by his shirt. He slammed Spirit's back to the wall, sending a dull pain through his head as he gritted his teeth.  
"I don't care who you are, or where you came from, but you stay away from Marie! Don't be getting any ideas about her, she's a goddess, too good for your kind!"

Spirit struggled to speak, but Bendilin's immortal strength was almost too much for him.

"No..." he coughed.

"Consider that your last word." Bendilen said, as he tightened his grip. Spirit felt dizzier by each passing moment, his air cut off from him, just as his vision blurred he heard a sudden 'slap!' as his body was dropped. He opened his eyes to see Kina, and a red hand mark on Bendilen's face, as she said "What the heck is wrong with you!"

Behind her stood Marie, who rushed over to Spirit and comforted him in her arms.

"Are you alright!" she said in concern.

"Yeah..." he said, gasping for air.

"Thank goodness..." she smiled in relief, kneeling by him as Kina started chewing Bendilen out in the corner, yelling at him "I can't believe you would try to kill a friend!"  
"Kina, I'm so-"

"Just because you have some grudge against mortals doesn't mean you can force them towards your will!"  
Marie stood up, offering a hand to help Spirit stand "C'mon, Spirit, let's leave while they're distracted"  
He nodded, as she held his hand and lead him off "I have something to show you..."  
She lead him down the hallways of the temple, a path suspended among a blanket of dark crystals, as beautiful as the night sky. Spirit gazed down in amazement, as Marie slightly tugged on his hand to remind him "We're not there yet..."  
"Oh..." he forced a smile, blushing slightly as they approached a portal, enveloped in light. Marie stood in front of it, pausing a moment.

"Once you cross this portal, you'll be in our spirit world... so keep close to me, I don't want you to get lost..."

Spirit nodded, and followed Marie inside. Upon exiting, he looked around at another new surrounding. It was a lush, green world, filled with all manner of plants and vegetation, almost a mirror to Cryssna.

"This is the spirit world; it's a boundless plane where souls go after their bodies pass on." Marie explain. "The spirits of the ones who rewrote my memory live here, but I just call them mom and dad."

Spirit looked stunned "Are they really your parents?" he asked.

Marie chuckled a little. "No, but they wrote themselves in history as my parents, and they did raise me when I was just a toddler... It's what I've known them as for most of my life, so why change it?"

He nodded, as she took his hand, causing him to float. This surprised him at first, but then noticed Marie suspended above the ground as well. She smiled "This'll allow us to travel faster, here my spiritual energy is much stronger..."  
He understood, as he held tighter, and she soared among the sky, over the mountains. He looked down in amazement, as he felt himself descend along with her to a shrine, their feet touched solid ground, they walked to the statue, one of a great dragon. Standing by, a dark Klonian like Bendilen, with the exception of a third eye, and a white Feina, with long, brown hair and delicate, blue eyes, stared at the goddess of water and smiled.  
"Mother... Father..." Marie approached and embraced the two, as she looked back to her friend "I'd like you to meet Spirit..."

Spirit gave a friendly smile "It's nice to meet you."

"So, you're the young Gaia we heard about." Leie said.

"You know!" he said in astonishment.

"Of course. Lumina told us long ago that you would be born." the feina woman answered. "Lumina... Who's that?" Marie asked. She then looked to Spirit, who seemed frozen in shock.

"I know that name, she's the Gaia of light! That's who my mother is!" he seemed as-if he could faint at any moment.

"Spirit, you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost..." Marie said "So you have anticipated his birth?"  
Leie nodded "Yeah, but I never thought you'd meet him, or that he would save you a few times..."  
Spirit's ears perked "You knew what happened between us?"  
"Uh huh..." Ranoke nodded "We are her guardian spirits, we love Marie like a daughter, and we'll always watch over her..." she floated to Marie, and whispered something in her ear as Marie gasped then blushed intensely.

"Mom!" Marie backed away as her mother chuckled.  
"Eh? What did she say?" Spirit looked over to Marie.  
"Nothing!" she quickly said, trying to hid her red face as Leie tried to shift the conversation back towards Spirit.

"There is much more to you than being a Gaia, but you will learn it in time." Leie continued. Spirit looked puzzled by this, but he nodded understandingly "As for now, we understand the shadow lord has returned."

Marie turned back to them, face still a bit pink "You mean that Zeetan guy?"

Leie nodded "I feel somewhat responsible for him. When I was killed, it caused the power of darkness to go out of balance. It then noticed the powers of hate from the mortals, and accepted it as a regulator for its power. The hate then caused the darkness to think for itself, and it took the form and name you saw; Zeetan."

Marie's mother then explained the rest. "Over time, his name has been skewed into Satan, and his form caused others to form ideas of the Grim Reaper."

"Ah, I see..." she paused, as her surrogate mother held her hands together, a light surrounding them both. It confused Spirit at first, but Marie closed her eyes, tilting her head towards the sky as a light emitted. When she glanced back at Spirit, her body became enveloped in light, he looked down at himself, and found his body showing the same effect.  
"What's this?"

Marie found herself blushing "Mom is giving us her blessing..."  
"Blessing?"  
"You'll learn in time..." Ranoke said, as the light blinded the two. The world began to fade before them, their home coming back into view. They found themself in the main room, furniture sprawled about as Marie rubbed her hands together.

"Time to get to work!"

Spirit helped Marie move the furniture around, though still trying to understand all that happened. His mind was reeling from thoughts of Gaias, deities, and what lay ahead. However, Marie was all that mattered to him, and he was just glad having her there with him. After their intense day, both of them needed a long rest. Spirit now found it impossible to fall asleep without Marie laying on his stomach. It was a necessity, much like a blanket and pillow.

"Heh, looks like maybe we should share a bedroom..." Marie said, curled up by him, her head on his stomach as always "I like sleeping with you, you're stomach's soft..." she snuggled her whiskers against his vest, as he nodded slightly, letting out a yawn.

"I wonder who to recruit next? Ah well... we'll worry tomorrow... after a good night's rest..."  
Marie smiled, letting out on last yawn as her eyes closed, finding herself drifting off to dreamland. Spirit soon joined her in that dream realm, they were always together by a strong bond, even in their sleep, and nothing would change that.


	4. Chapter 4

The following morning, Marie awoke to a pleasant sound from outside. She couldn't place what it was, but listened blissfully to it, but soon the delightful sound ceased. She longed to hear it again, and went out to investigate. She looked around, but only found Spirt. It dawned on her. "Spirit, were you singing a moment ago?" she asked. He looked up, blushing slightly.

"You heard..."

Marie nodded joyfully. "You were great, almost like your voice was magic!"

Spirit looked really happy, though he was still somewhat embarrassed. "I'm kinda shy about my voice... I had no idea I was that good." Suddenly, Marie rushed up and hugged him affectionately. "Sing again! I want to really hear you this time!" she said excitedly. Spirit nodded, and started singing. Marie was instantly sent into a state of pure bliss, just from the sound of his voice. He hit all the notes at the right pitch, following a constant rhythm, as Marie hummed in glee. When he was done, she opened her eyes once again, and said "Spirit, I didn't know you were a bard!"  
"A bard?"  
"You know, those who sing so much that there's a magic in their voice?" she said eagerly with a wagging tail. Spirit scratched his head, and looked to her.

"Sorry, I never heard of them..."  
"Ahh..." she nodded "I guess you've never been to Rune Midgard?"  
He shook his head. Marie looked at him and smiled.

"Then I know where we're going today!" she said, hopping up and energizing a portal "Get Sora, he'd probably like it there, too." Spirit nodded, and came back with him. They all went through the portal, and appeared in a lush, green forest on a soft, earthy path. The wind blew gently, as Marie closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath as she smiled, but soon got down to business.

"This is Prontera field. We'll need to disguise you two before going into a city." Marie explained. She then held her hands out, both casting a blue aura, and new clothes suddenly appeared on Spirit and Sora "There, now you're both ready."

Sora found himself in new, light armor, silver in color with gold crosses on his breast plate and shoulder pads. Along with the armor, he found a cape on him, a bright red color that swayed in the wind.  
"Sora, I gave you the uniform of the lord knight" Marie said "The most powerful of Rune Midgard's knights, they have transcended beyond the normal knights of the king..." she turned to Spirit, who was now in leather clothing, a shirt under his vest, and long pants under his shorts, as well as a leathery cape "And Spirit, you have been given the uniform of a bard..."  
She twirled around "As for me" her uniform was some leather dress that went down to her boots. It came with belts at the thigh, and light armor pads on her arms as she twirled around in glee.

"I am a swordie!"

Marie turned and pointed to a large city nearby "That's Prontera; the capitol city of Rune Midgart. Inside, there are places to eat, buy supplies, and teleport to other locations."

She then turned to Spirit. "There's somewhere I want to take you. Sora, why don't you check out the city?"

He smiled and walked off. "Guess the love birds want some alone time." Sora thought to himself. Marie then took Spirit by the hand, leading him into the entrance of town, as she walked up to a lady in a brown dress uniform.

"Two warps to Geffen, please" she said as the lady nodded. She gave her some coins, and beams of light surrounded the two, as Spirit felt the world fade away, soon replaced by a different set of cobblestone and buildings. They found themselves by a circle of benches surrounding a fountain, towards the city's center, a tower touched the sky, watching over the town and surrounding areas. As Spirit gazed on in awe, Marie tugged his hand, saying "This way, silly!"

He realized and blushed for a moment, following her outside the town. He found himself in another field, stretching onwards towards a lake as Marie kept a firm and gentle grip, suddenly blushing as she realized she didn't need to hold it anymore. Spirit didn't mind though, he looked to her and smiled, as she lead him on. They crossed a long, metal bridge, going up a few hills, and reached a stream of floating platforms leading up to the sky.

"It's right up there. Don't worry about falling, I'll catch ya." Marie said. The two then walked up, eventually reaching a mushroom-shaped object, surrounded by telescopes "This spot has the best view in the entire world. You can see everything from up here." she said in an emotional tone. Spirit looked around with amazement, totally forgetting he was afraid of heights.

"It's beautiful..." he said with the same emotion.

"Good thing we took the Kafra, or that walk would have been forever..." she said, looking to the sky as she leaned onto his shoulder, he nodded, saying "Who knew those ladies could warp people?"  
"They're trained to as employees..." she said, staring off into the distance as a low rumble started in her throat, a purr. She wrapped her arms around Spirit in a hug, snuggling her soft cheek against his own, causing him to blush.  
"Heh, wait til I take you to Juno..." she said with a smile.

Spirit joined her in purring, though somewhat reluctantly. He was always shy about his emotions, but there was something about Marie that made him feel safe. They both gazed at the sky with dream-like expressions. She then stood up and looked down at the bridge below.

"Everything seems so small from up here..."

Spirit stood up and joined her, looking across the water to distant towns and cities.

"Some people don't realize how beautiful something is until it's gone."

A brief moment of silence passed as they reflected upon their feelings, those of bliss and happiness, as each shyly looked up at one another and stared deeply into each other's eyes.

"Some day, when Zeetan is gone, when the chaos is all over... I want to take you to see the world..." Marie said with a smile and Spirit nodded. He wished this moment would last forever but it was soon cut short.

"Aww, how cute..." a mocking voice said, almost sourceless as they both turned around. Marie saw someone leap at her with a scythe held out, coming at her as it tore across her chest. She backed away, the scythe cutting through her clothes and bandages, as the assassin fully revealed herself.  
"Kiza!" she yelled, as she backed away just far enough for the scythe to miss her skin, feeling herself trip backwards. Marie plummeted through the air, into the lake with a mighty splash, as the attacker disappeared into shadows.

"Marie!" Spirit yelled. He looked over the side of the platform, not seeing any sign of her. Just then, he lost his footing and went over as well. As he felt himself falling, he was suddenly caught by someone. Opening his eyes, he saw it to be Marie.

"You're okay!" he said joyously.

"Yeah, but we have to go. That was Kiza; a demon who has the only weapon capable of wounding a deity." she explained.

"Did she hurt you!" Spirit asked, tears forming in his eyes.

"No, just caught me off guard."

She flew to the bridge, setting Spirit down with outstretched wings, bandages falling off as a blue blotch on her chest shown. Spirit looked at it, trickling down her chest as he whispered "Blood?"  
She nodded slightly, frowning "Don't worry, I always had this wound... but my mythril bandages..." she looked at them, sliced in half and blue-stained "And my shirt..." she took off the top of her swordswoman outfit, carrying the items in a pile "It'll take awhile to fix these... until then, my wound is open..."  
She hunched over at the ground, holding outstretched hands as energy flowed around her clothes, and she set to work. Spirit watched as the threads in her shirt magically reattached themselves and sew back together. Marie then took her fixed bandages and began to wrap them back around her body.

"Can I help in any way?" he asked, a look of concern in his eyes. Marie smiled and handed one end of the bandage to him.

"It's kind of hard to get them around my wings without someone to help me."

Spirit nodded and wound the bandage snugly around her body. As he did this, Marie could feel something familiar about it. The care he took in wrapping them around her back and wings, trying not to squeeze her in the bandages, but also not to have them too loose, just perfect.

"Thanks..." she smiled, as Spirit blushed slightly "Let's go find Sora back in Prontera..."

"We should go to Juno... from that place, you can go to any town... and the view there is so magnificent!"  
She sat up, taking out a pair of purple, shriveled up insect wings "These butterfly wings will bring us back to Prontera..." she held his hand, putting it in there as she squeezed her own, causing her to disappear in a white light. Spirit did the same, and appeared in the middle of a giant marketplace.

"Over here!" Marie said through the bustling crowd. Spirit ran over to her, bumping into a few people as he did.

"Did you find Sora?" he asked.

"I've only looked here. Prontera is a big city, and he could be anywhere."

Suddenly, the ground trembled beneath their feet. Looking around, they spotted a tall, lanky Heartless, with multiple faces stacked on top of one another, and a pair of long arms that were juggling flaming batons.

"It's a Trick Master!" a familiar voice said. Sora soon ran up beside Marie and Spirit, Keyblade in hand. As the heartless neared the town, merchants fled, making sure not to drop any of their handcrafted goods as some blacksmiths stayed for the fight. In Rune Midgard, everyone was a fighter, every man, woman and child. Knights came, fending off heartless swarms as some were overpowered on the streets, passing out until a priest would resurrect using the power of God. As the leading heartless came at the three, ready to attack, someone yelled "Falcon Assualt!" causing a mighty falcon with a helmet and ribbon to attack it with such force that the ground rumbled. The magnificent bird returned to its owner, one in a blue sniper uniform with hair to match.  
"Aeon!" Marie yelled, coming into battle as he chuckled, saying "It's been awhile!"

He then turned to Spirit, looking at him curiously "What kind of bard are you? You don't even have a bow."

Suddenly, Spirit's sword appeared, but something happened. The blades pivoted around, and the sword took the shape of a bow.

"Um... Now I do." he said. Pointing it at the Heartless, a few golden energy arrows appeared along the transformed blades. They then shot off, each landing in the Trick Master's torso. The creature toppled over and exploded in a haze of dark energy. As the creatures dispersed, the blades returned back to normal position, becoming a sword once again, before fading away.  
"That's odd" the sniper tilted his head, as he stared on, the creatures now gone "That weapon of yours, I never seen anything like it in all of Rune Midgard, or creatures such as those..."  
"Yeah, they're Heartless..." Marie said "creatures of darkness, those without hearts... they intend to destroy all worlds, it seems..."  
"And now they're on Rune Midgard?" Aeon sat a moment, looking up as he held onto his feet, hunching over like a dog (like Inuyasha XD) "Do they have a chance of destroying our world?"  
Marie nodded "But Sora here has the key to seal the heart of all worlds, so if we find the heart of Rune Midgard, and seal it, then it keeps the heartless from destroying it..." she gestured over to the Lord Knight as Aeon paced around, inspecting him, saying "I'm guessing your friends are from other worlds?"

As they all talked, a familiar enemy watched from nearby.

"It appears I underestimated the young Gaia..." he growled. Just then, someone tried to strike him from behind. The attacker was Kiza, holding a massive scythe as she looked menacingly at the dark lord.

"Nice try, but power such as mine cannot be destroyed so easily." Zeetan laughed.

"You have total control over a power, therefore you must be a god." Kiza sneered, as she readied for another attack.

"Quite the opposite, my dear. I am a demon, much like yourself." he then held out one of his spectral hands, and a scythe materialized in it out of dark energy. "

We could fight each other right now, but there would be no outcome." He then hovered closer to the undead assassin.

"I'll merely control your mind!" Zeetan grabbed Kiza's forehead, and started infusing dark energy into her as she shrugged it off.

"You can't control what doesn't exist." she laughed, but then deviously smirked "But, maybe this'll be fun To join you, I need a few kicks, just on a few conditions!"Zeetan paused, wondering if it was worth it to barter with the insane demon "Name them.."  
"First, the goddess doesn't die!" she said "Who else would give me a challenge? Also, I don't want to be a mere crony, but your right hand lady" she smirked, trying to control that ego "And I heard you can give your henchmen dark powers that amplify their strength, I want such powers... if you meet these simple demands" she raised her eyebrows, giving a wink "Then I am yours"

Zeetan nodded "I also have some demands. First, I want you to kill the Zarconian child. Also, there are four jewels I am searching for. Help me find them, and I promise you the dark power which you seek." Kiza looked at him skeptically.

"Kill a kid, and find some jewels... I can understand the first, but what's with the crystals?" Zeetan's eyes became even more menacing.

"They aren't mere jewels, they're Materia... The materia of the Apocalypse. The Gaias sealed them away from me long ago, and their power is enough to destroy existence."

"Sounds fun" she said, fox ears perking "But knowing how the goddess has special feelings for the Gaian, we'll have to separate them" she continued on "As weak as she may seem, every deity is unstoppable when enraged..."  
She faded into the shadows "Give me one week, and I'll have those materia!"  
Meanwhile, Marie was introducing her friends to the sniper, the falcon perched on his outstretched arm, as he gave it a bit of meat, it cawed and flew off once again over his head.  
"Aeon, this is Sora, wielder of the keyblade..." she said, as he waved back, then gestured to the Gaia "this is Spirit, he and I have been friends for awhile..."  
"Nice to meet you" he said with a cordial bow "And I am Falcon Aeon, a mighty trainer of falcons!"

"We were on our way to Juno when that Heartless appeared." Marie explained.

"If you want to go there, you'll first need to go to Al De Baran and find a Kafra that can warp you." Aeon said. Marie looked for a Kafra worker, but they had run off in the chaos.

"Great... Looks like we're walking..." Sora didn't look pleased by this news, but Spirit had a look of eagerness.

"That's fine. What's the use of doing something if you don't put any effort in it?"

Marie smiled at his optimistic attitude. It reminded her of someone, but she still didn't know who.

"Yeah, but it's a bit of a long walk... and there's many bug creatures..." she said "It'd be dangerous, and we could get lost..."  
"Hum" Aeon said "How about we walk to Izlude, and get a warp there? The Kafras there can warp us to Al De..."  
"Yeah..." Sora nodded "We best save our strength... besides.." he forced a smile "It's hard to walk in all this armor... so heavy..."  
Marie chuckled, taking a twirl as she walked towards the southern streets "okies, onto Izlude"


	5. Chapter 5

Marie led the way out of the city and into Prontera fields, Sora and Spirit following behind.

"This area is really peaceful compared to a lot of other places on this world. Monsters here are laid back and only attack when provoked." she explained. As they walked up a hill, something caught their eye, a vulpine creature with nine tails, and razor sharp teeth.

"Uh oh!" Marie exclaimed "That's a Ninetails! Somebody must have summoned it with a dead branch."

Spirit turned to look at her. "What do we do?" he asked nervously.

"Run like heck!"

"We should be safe in the city" she said, pointing towards the portal as she held out her staff "I'll stall the critter for now!"  
Spirit hesitantly nodded, but then shook his head "No! I won't leave your side ever!"  
She understood and grinned, thwacking the creature with her mighty weapon "You can use some practice!"  
He materialized his blade, as the creature growled and meowed, trying to attack Marie. Yet she was too speedy for it, dodging most of its blows as Spirit raised the sword in the air, letting its own weight fall upon the creature. It let out a yelp of pain, as Marie smiled, feeling proud of her friend and how his skills improved. But she became distracted as the creature bit her, and sank its teeth into her skin. Though it couldn't pierce the flesh, it bit down harder, squeezing at her ankle until Spirit realized and made the finishing blow. As he looked over to Marie, she sat on the ground, rubbing her ankle as she tried to smile, yet winced in pain at the same time.  
"Manyo... it sprained meh ankle..."

Spirit quickly knelt down, wanting to help her.

"I'll be fine, really..." she looked to be in a great deal of pain, but didn't want the Gaia to worry. "No, you're hurt. I can't let you go on like this."

Marie sighed reluctantly, but was really happy that Spirit cared for her so much. He blushed a bit as he lifted her into his arms, being very careful not to put any strain on her leg. "

You'll be okay." he said comfortingly. Marie looked up at him, her blue eyes gazing into his.

"I know I will..." but then she sighed "I just feel so weak at times..." she looked up to him as he carried her to the town's entrance "Whenever I mess up, I get hurt... and I rely on others..." she frowned "I want to be able to protect myself..."  
"But you're the strongest person I know!" he said smiling, blushing even more "You never hesitate to help a friend, and you even saved my life... you also have a great quality you should never take for granted" he continued on "You have this way of making me smile, every moment I'm with you is like heaven on earth! You shouldn't be disappointed in yourself!"  
She paused a moment, closing her eyes in though, but then smiled "I guess you're right!"

She nodded as they entered the city and Spirit laid Marie down on a nearby bench.

"Does it still hurt?"

"Yeah... Just a little..." she answered, trying to get up, but Spirit laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked, a look of worry in his eyes. Marie looked up at him, smiling slightly.

"Well... Could you sing for me?"

He blushed a little, but couldn't deny Marie her wish. Just then, the sword reappeared, and morphed again. The blades closed together, the handle lengthened, and a series of energy strands came down from the jewel on the end of it.

"It's... A guitar!" Spirit said as he looked at this strange, new transformation.

"Hum..." Marie thought "Maybe you can play the Song of Lutie?"  
"Lutie" Spirit's ears perked as Marie started to hum a slow, soft song. He nodded, carrying on the tune as if h heard it before. White apples started floating around, magically appearing, a visual effect from the melody. Marie started smiling, sitting up as she happily stared on, slipping a long, silver object out from her large, dress pocket. She pressed the object, a flute, against her lips, creating a light, sound as she played along with him. A tranquile melody drifted around the area, as everyone stood by, looking on at the free performance, but then continued on their way. When the two musicians finished, Marie stood with ease, running towards Spirit as she glomped him, causing him to almost fall backwards, saying "You _are_ a bard!"

"And you can walk!" he said excitedly.

"Of course! The song of Lutie has healing powers." she explained "Only a bard can use it the way you did."

Spirit looked pleased by what he had just done, but was happier that Marie was okay.

"So I guess we're off to Al De Baran?" Sora said, feeling a bit left out.

"Yup! The Kafra employee here should be able to teleport us." Marie happily walked off, humming the song that had healed her.

"You like her, don't you." Sora said, a big grin on his face. Spirit blushed up almost instantly, too embarrassed to speak. Before he could answer, Marie called out "Hurry up, you two" with cheer, as Spirit noticed and followed.  
"Okay, that's 4 warps tp Al De Baran?" the employee asked, as she nodded, pointing to herself and the three who followed her.  
"Spirit, Sora, Aeon and me"  
The lady nodded and bowed, as the familiar white light surrounded the party, warping them to another city far away. Spirit found himself appearing in front of a great tower on a white, cobblestone road, surrounded by many canals. Soon Marie appeared right by him, as well as the other two, and they managed to get through the crowd, sitting on benches. Marie began to yawn slightly, as the sun started to set.  
"Darn, it's getting late, maybe we should stay in this town... by an inn..." Aeon suggested, as Marie shook her head, saying "_She_ lives in this town..."  
Spirit tilted his head slightly, as did Sora "Who?"  
As she was about to answer, someone tackled her to the ground from behind, a blond-haired lady, nuzzling her cheek against her fur, saying "Maaaaaaaarie It's been forever, but you're still fluffy soft like I remember"  
"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp!" she called, struggling against the demi's weight, but found herself too weak as Aeon tried pulling her up by her collar. She struggled against his weight, as Marie gasped for air.  
"Nuuuuu!" she cried "I must hug her, she's so cuddly!""You have to stop this, the poor thing can barely breath!" he scolded, as Marie ducked behind Spirit, saying "Her..."

The lady then caught sight of the young Gaia. Without delay, she broke free of Aeon's grip and started to hug Spirit senseless.

"Succi, no! He's not immortal like me!" Marie shouted, trying to pull her away.

"But he's so soft!" she said, her victim turning blue from the lack of air. Suddenly, Sora wedged his Keyblade between the two and pushed them apart like a crow-bar. Spirit fell limp to the ground, breathing heavily.

"Are you okay!" Marie said as she rushed up to him. He gave a weak nod, but then passed out. "Succi, look what you've done to him!" Marie gave her a resentful glare, as she forced a grin. She walked over to Succi and whispered in her ear, "I'm only going to say this once: THE KITTY'S MINE!"

"Oh really?" she said deviously, as she looked to Marie with a grin. She just realized what she said and blushed up, turning away to Spirit's unconscious body, trying to lift him, but found herself unable to, him being larger than she.  
"Let me take care of him" Sora said, lifting the feline's body in his arm, as Marie lead them towards an inn.  
"He jus' needs some rest" she said with a smile, as she laid some zeny among the counter top, getting two keys.  
"Spirit and I will share room 53" she said, taking one of them "You and Aeon will have room 55!"  
Sora nodded, taking the key as they walked upstairs, entering as he laid Spirit on the bed, heading with the sniper to the neighboring room. Marie let out a yawn, climbing onto the same bed as she laid a head on his stomach, hearing an unconscious purring as she drifted off to sleep. Spirit didn't awaken until many hours later, still reeling from the near fatal glomp. Marie was already awake, but still happily rested on his stomach.

"I was waiting for you to get up." she said before hugging him. He looked down at his body, noticing he was back in his usual clothes.

"I figured you'd be more comfy in these." Marie explained.

"Thanks! So you used your magic?."

She suddenly blushed. "Yeah... Magic..."

Spirit then hopped out of bed, not noticing Marie's slight embarrassment. She took his hand, smiling slightly with soft eyes, trying to hide the redness. He barely noticed that, being distracted by her wide eyes, deep blue "They're so pretty..."  
"Huh?" she tilted her head, as Spirit blushed.

"Errmmm... nothing" he said, looking out the window. _Night..._ he thought, looking towards the starry sky. Marie stared up too "You know, no matter where you are, no matter where I am, when we stare up at the sky, we are under the same blanket of stars... when I was little, and alone... sad and scared, I used to stare at the sky, and think someone else was out there, staring up as well..." she smiled "Sound silly, huh?"

Spirit shook his head. "I don't think it's silly... I've often thought the same thing." Marie turned to him, smiling.

"You know, we're a lot alike..." he nodded happily "I think that's why we make such great friends."

Marie suddenly looked a bit more serious "Yeah... But, do you ever think... It's more than that..." she said, a hint of red on her cheeks. Spirit didn't know what to say, and just stood with a surprised look on his face.

"Spirit... I remember that day at the beach..."

He instantly blushed up, and was taken aback by this news.

"I remember what you said to me as I passed out..."

Spirit hung his head low, both embarrassed and afraid.

"So... You know..."

Marie nodded, but then looked at him; smiling. Without hesitation, she tackled him to the floor and started purring into his ear. He smiled, picking her up with a snuggle as she said gleefully "Dun worry, Spirit, I love you too"  
"Awwww" little did they know, Aeon had opened the door, and witnessed most of the scene as he chuckled "Heh, little Marie has fallen head over heels!"  
"Yeah..." Sora paused, also looking on as both blushed intensely "I knew those two were sweet hearts from the start..." he said, taking out a little star-shaped pendant, thinking _it makes me miss Kairi... what I wouldn't give to see her once more..._  
"Sora, you okay?" Marie suddenly noticed his change in mood, as he forced a goofy smile, scratching the back of his head.  
"Yeah, I'm just thinking about someone..."  
Marie got off Spirit, letting him stand as she changed his suit back to the bard outfit using magic. She smiled "Succi glomping you was a minor setback... and it looks like we may have to walk to Juno..." she uneasily forced a smile "I spent the last of our zeny on our rooms..."

"Walk! Have you forgotten how far away it is!" Aeon shouted.

"It's not like we can't camp out overnight." Marie said "What do you think, Spirit?" Unfortunately, the young Gaia was in a state of shock and disbelief.

"Poor little kitty... He must be really shy..." she thought.

"Umm... I... Don't mind..." he said, body quaking from anxiety.

"Okay, but let's hurry. This armor is murder on my shoulders." Sora interrupted. Aeon and the Keyblade master then walked out of the room, leaving Spirit and Marie alone again. She then walked over to him and held out her hand.

"Whatever happens now, we'll face it together."


	6. Chapter 6

The dark Janga then vanished, along with Zeetan, leaving the warriors alone.

"Marie!" Spirit shouted, his voice echoing through the distance. Meanwhile, Marie reappeared in the holds of Zeetan's ship, the shadow lord standing before her.

"We have to stop meeting like this." he sneered at her, as she huddled in the corner, trying to work up what little shred of courage she had left.

"Well, the godess returns." a familiar voice said.

"Ansem!" Marie found a new burning rage and shouted as the dark sage appeared from the shadows.

"Lord Zeetan has given me power the likes of which I've never had before!"

Zeetan cackled, his eyes flaring up.

"You're wasting your time! You can't control me, and Spirit's probably on his way here to rescue me!" Marie said confidently, yet cautiously backed away.

"That pathetic boy can't stop me, and neither could his father!"

Marie's expression turned to shock and horror, as another figure appeared from the shadows. He looked like a Zarconian, but had wings like those in Spirit's Gaian form.

"Gaze upon this! This sorry being was once Artross: The Gaia of Heart! After our battle, his spirit was weakened, so I took what was left of my power and placed him under my control!" Marie started crying, thinking of how Spirit would react.

"Accept the fate of this world and submit to my power!"

She brushed away the tears "No, I still have hope! Someway, somehow this'll all be stopped..."  
"You're in denial!" he said, appearing by her, taunting her. She looked up with a growl, extending claws as she swiped at him, scratching his robe. He didn't move a bit, instead, laying a head upon her forehead, draining her of energy. Her body weakened by the moment, her limbs becoming noodle like, yet her heart and soul remained very strong.  
"Even if you're uncontrollable, there's still a use for you, my energy sponge!"  
The world quickly faded before her, and she fell comatose, being left in a dark prison of Zeetan's design. He threw her in a cell, her body laying among the cold ground. Her limbs twitched and quivered, yet she couldn't budge. Marie could hear his voice in the back of her mind, tormenting her, no peace even in unconsciousness, yet she endured it all. She awoke some time later, Zeetan and his minions already gone. She was now in a cage, guarded by two devilish Heartless wielding jagged swords. She reached into her pocket, glad to see the orb was okay.

"I hope you two never have to go through this..." Marie whispered. She held it tightly, crying as she thought of what could happen. At that moment, the heartless disintegrated from a beam of blinding white light. Lumina then appeared, breaking the cage open as Marie weakly rose to her feet and ran up to her.

"You saved me!" she said, embracing the kind, motherly Gaia. Lumina smiled softly "I couldn't let anything happen to my future daughter in-law."

She then paused, looking into Marie's innocent, blue eyes "Spirit is too far off, so I had to do something. He would have saved you if he could."

Marie nodded happily. "I know he would!"

She then felt her strength leave her, collapsing into the Gaia's arms. Lumina cradled her gently, saying "Don't worry, I'll bring you somewhere safer, away from the darkness..."  
"It'll help me heal a little more easily... but what of Spirit?"  
She smiled "As soon as you get better, you can return to him... for now, rest little one, you're safe..."  
Lumina disappeared within a portal of light, goddess in arms, returning back at her haven. It felt oddly comfortable, jarring out loose memories of Ranoke, when Marie was but a young Cryssling. She yawned, slowly falling asleep, waking up hours later, orb in folded arms as she felt somewhat different, then looked up and gasped.  
"Wh-what's this?" she said, reaching up for the silvery ring that floated above her, but it fazed through her hand like an illusion. Lumina walked over with a chuckle.  
"It's a halo, you mostly see them on angels, but I gave you one since it helps build up an immunity towards darkness." she explained "It concerns me that Zeetan targets you so much, not only draining you of energy and tormenting you with darkness... I could sense your great fear you have in his power..."  
Marie frowned slightly, but then smiled.  
"It's ok, I deal with it, it doesn't matter what happens to me, I only care for the safety of friends, my future children and soul mate..."

Lumina smiled and nodded. "But they, in turn, care for you. I know Spirit does."

Marie suddenly started panicking "Oh no! Spirit's probably worried sick about me!"

"Then hurry off to him..." she said "Who knows? Maybe you were only gone for minutes, dimension traveling does distort time after all..."

She nodded and quickly created a portal, bowing to Lumina before hopping through. Lumina's assumption proved true, back at the sight of the fight, Spirit stared solemnly at the ground, and a tear dropped. Without hesitation, Marie ran over and glomped him out of joy, catching him off guard as he fell back into a patch of grass.

"You're safe!" Spirit happily said. He spotted the halo hovering above her head "I always knew you were an angel in disguise!"

Marie giggled a bit at this. "It's just a gift from your mom. It's supposed to help build an immunity to the darkness."

He hugged her tightly "Naw, I bet it was there all along!"  
She smiled in happiness, her wings outstretched as she gave him a kiss, making him turn a little pink. Klonoa walked up to her, poking the halo, his hand phasing through it. He grinned "Kinda neat... so I guess Claire Moa was some kind of angel too?"  
Spirit nodded "They're human like with beautiful, white wings and a halo... it is said that they live in heaven as souls of those who lived life as a good person..."  
"Ah..." he nodded "I see... I never saw one before..."  
"But it can also be used to as an expression for someone you care for..." he stared into Marie's eyes, causing her to giggle once again "Like Marie" his eyes tearing slightly in the overwhelming joy "you are my angel!"

Marie blushed a bit, but then turned to a more serious look. "I have to tell you... Ansem is now with Zeetan..." Spirit unexpectedly smiled. "It doesn't matter. I won't let anyone take you away again."

Marie smiled and cuddled him, letting her head rest on his shoulder. Spirit started singing a song lightly into her ear, soon lulling the goddess to sleep. She held him tightly, even while dreaming; still seeking to be close to the one she loved.

"Awwww" Lolo finally said, unable to contain herself. She then looked to Klonoa, a smile on her face. He turned away, blushing slightly. He looked on with mixed emotions and scarlet cheeks, Lolo caught him off-guard, wrapping her arms around him. His eyes widened, he could only remember the last time they hugged was when he had to leave her. This hug seemed random and sudden at first, but then he managed to return the warm embrace, as Spirit carried Marie over gently. They both noticed and abruptly let go of each other, each with pink on their cheeks.  
"A-anyways the temple should be up ahead" Klonoa said "We can rest there, seeing how Popka is injured and Marie is asleep!"  
Lolo nodded, gently lifting Popka into her arms, and jumping into the ring. Klonoa lifted it up, and said "Why don't you join her? There's plenty of room!"  
"Eh?" he tilted his head "Why would I need to do that?"  
"Well, these paths go high up, and require a lot of jumping across bottomless pits of doom... I figured it'd be hard for you since you're carrying my sister..."

"Ah, I see..." he looked down to her, gently purring in her sleep. He didn't want to put her in any danger, and decided to trust Klonoa with their safety. He nodded, and Klonoa held up his ring, Spirit leaping at it and becoming one with the jewel in a great shine. When the light faded away, he found himself staring at Lolo in a pure, white plane. She was on her knees, eyes closed. Spirit stared on curiously, until the sudden voice of Popka interrupted his thoughts.  
"She's prayin' ta Claire" he said "If she doesn't, then Klonoa's ring ain't gonna work at all..."

Spirit nodded silently, returning his attention back to Marie. She slept in his arms like a carefree child, causing him to shed a slight tear. Spirit curled his tail around her, as usual, the small goddess seemingly comforted by this. She soon let out a soft yawn, her eyes slowly opening. "Your tail's nice and fluffy."

She started to bat at his tail playfully, Spirit wagging it back and forth. Marie was quite content with this, her playful nature making her seem like a kitten with a piece of string. Spirit couldn't help but laugh, joyful that Marie hadn't changed in the least. She smiled gleefully as Klonoa made it down the path, jumping when needed from platform to platform. Occasionally he shot a wind bullet from his ring, nabbing a small, red creature called a moo to perform his double jumps. About an hour later, he came to a huge pendulum, throwing Moos at it to knock down stone columns and he approached the beautiful temple. The passengers jumped out of his ring one by one, entering inside. They found themselves in a grande room, leading to a chair where a fair lady sat, staring out with solemn, red eyes.  
"I see you have returned from Cryssna, Lolo..." her voice had a subtle hint of sorrow, yet no one could sense it. It felt lulling, calm, and Spirit found his mind drifting. Lolo nodded, speaking up.  
"Yes, high priestess..." she bowed "I got sick in Cryssna, but thanks to my friends I was able to pull through..."  
The priestess made a small smile "That's good, we don't want any of our priestesses dying..."  
She nodded "But on our way here, we came across Janga... Guntz helped tipped the scales in our favor..."  
As she said that he gave a satisfied smirk, but then Marie suddenly spoke up.  
"I doubt that's the last time we'll be dealing with him... he's with Zeetan now... a ruthless minion until he can be stopped!"  
"Tell me more about this 'Zeetan' please..." the high priestess said, as Marie continued.  
"He's cunning, dark and heartless... the very source of evil itself... he recruits minions, some of them against their will..." she remembered seeing Spirit's father and frowned, her ears drooping. She didn't want to tell Spirit just yet, but knew it was best.  
"For now, the battle has worn us out, and we can use a safe place to rest..." Spirit said, the priestess nodding.  
"Lolo, please guide our guests to the inner sanctums..."  
"Yes, Mam!" she said, turning around. The walk wasn't long, the group followed her down the halls, soon coming upon what seemed to be lounge rooms in the temple, made specifically for weary travelers.  
"We're running short on free rooms... so we'll have to share a few... Spirit and Marie can share a room... Klonoa, Popka and I will share a room, and Guntz gets his own..."  
They all nodded, heading to their determined quarters. That night Marie and Spirit sat together, looking down at the orb.


	7. Chapter 7

Soon the vision disappeared as someone nudged his shoulder. Sora woke up to see Marie kneeling by him. He groggily stared on, unsure of what to think. Before he could ask, she told him "You were having a nightmare, besides, you were sleeping in, we have to discuss where to go today, and who to recruit..."  
Sora paused, nodding as she exited the room, her ear twitching as she heard him whisper "Riku..."

Sora made his way into the living room, joining Marie and Spirit on the couch.

"I know where we should go today." he said. The two looked at him inquisitively, a bit surprised by his serious tone of voice "It's a world called Hollow Bastion."

Marie suddenly looked as if she had seen a ghost.

"Marie, what's wrong?" Spirit asked, trying to snap her back into reality.

"Have you been there before?" Sora asked.

"Umm... No! But I heard the Heartless there are really strong. The world was lost when their sage betrayed the people to the darkness."

Sora now had an angry look on his face. "That man's name is Ansem. Through his sick experiments, he created the Heartless."

She shook her head "Never heard of him... but the heartless are getting stronger and stronger... would it be wise to go there?"  
Spirit shook his head "I'll protect you, no matter what!"  
"And besides" Sora said "If we work together, we can take down anything!"  
She hesitantly nodded, Spirit knew she hid something, and begin to wonder "Marie, is there something you're not telling us?" he laid his hand on her shoulder as a comfort, as he said "Don't be afraid to be honest..."  
She paused, letting out a sigh "Ansem... is a very bad man... long ago... I woke up on his planet, seeing him... how I got there or what happened before then was but a daze..." she continued "But I agreed to help him in his studies... he told me it would help the world... and he lied... thanks to me, he was able to control the darkness..."  
She felt a knot in her throat, being nervous as every word was forced out "Because of me, so many worlds fell, so many tears shed, so many lost to the darkness..." she turned her back to Spirit in shame.

"Marie, it doesn't sound like that was your fault. He tricked you, and you had no idea that this would happen."

Sora nodded "You're not the last person he tricked, and you're probably not the first, either." Marie turned hesitantly around, still with a guilty look about her. Spirit used a finger to wipe a tear from under one of her eyes, giving her a slight feeling of joy "No matter what happens, I'll always love you."

The deity smiled at this, and wrapped her arms around him.

"You're so sweet!" she said gleefully. Sora didn't notice their display of affection; he was too busy thinking about the friend who he had lost.

"Okay! Just promise that you'll help me fight off Ansem if he comes?"

Spirit nodded "Anything for you!" he blushed slightly, as she nuzzled his cheek. Sora gave little notice, still lost in thought as he just noticed her opening a portal.  
"Jump in, you two!"  
They did so and she followed after into a great, dark castle. The atmosphere around it caused Marie to shiver slightly.

"Dang, there's a lot of dark creatures around... you can tell" she said "The air gets slightly damper and it gets a little colder..."  
"Really?" Sora said "I never noticed..."

"I can feel it in my fur" she said "But I usually ignore it..."  
She shivered again slightly, her nose twitching, as she shrugged it off "Meh... I'll get used ot it in time... darn these keen senses of mine..."

Suddenly, a swarm of super powerful Heartless appeared out of the shadows. Some were muscular in appearance, and had shields with canine-like heads on them. Others looked like skinny magicians, hovering in the air with their wands at the ready. The group was about to take on these new foes, but suddenly, they were all destroyed by a series of lightning fast attacks. A figure landed where the Heartless once stood, a dragon wing shaped sword in his hand.

"It's been a long time, Sora."

Marie's nose twitched, as she approached the stranger.

"You know Sora?" she asked, trying to pick up a scent as she walked around his body. He nodded.  
"Looks like you've got some new friends?" he suggested, tilting his head towards Sora as he nodded, forcing a smile "Some new fuzzy fetish of yours?"  
Sora muttered, hand to his forehead as his friend chuckled "Just kidding!"  
He looked to Marie "The name's Riku, squirt!"  
"Hey!" she said, exposing tiny kitten fangs as she spoke "I resent the short jokes!"

"I'm just joking again." Sora chuckled a bit, happy to see that his friend was okay. "One more thing..." Riku said as he moved toward his old friend. He then knocked Sora upside the head, shocking both Spirit and Marie.

"I told you to watch after Kairi!"

"Heh, suppose I deserved that." Sora said, rubbing the top of his head. Riku returned back to his more friendlier look, smiling as he brushed some of his long hair out of his face.

"We'll talk about that later... For now, it's just good to see you again."

"So... Sora... what did we come here for again?" Marie's mood changed to the one before as she shuddered "Manyo, I hate dark energy, it always messes me up somehow..."  
She winced slightly as she suddenly sneezed "The air's so damp here... there must be water around..." she rubbed her furry chin "I could reenergize..."  
"Hum?" Spirit turned his head towards her.  
"My body is mostly composed of water magic, which I get by absorbing any water, as long as it's not tainted greatly..." she said "Any body of water can offer a great deal of energy for me, and that would be good in such a place like this..."  
Riku pointed to some pipes at the side "I think water flows through those..."  
She walked to it, placing her hand on the cool metal and searched for a leak. Water droplets condensed on the side, as a gentle aura surrounded her. Spirit gazed on curiously, wondering how long this could possibly take, but she was finished before he could even ask."So ermm... can we leave now?" she asked Sora.

"Not yet, there's someone here who I want you to meet." Riku said, pointing out the way to a large doorway.

"Who is it?" Sora asked cautiously.

"His name starts with an 'S'... He's really quiet, and I think he's from another world."

The Gaia looked to Marie, wary of her health.

"If this place upsets Marie, I don't want her to have to stay any longer."

She shook her head, saying "It's okay, we'll leave once we help out this guy."

Again she shivered, her body chilled by the darkness in the air. Spirit walked up to her and put his arms around her, blushing a bit as he did.

"It's okay, I'll keep you warm."

Riku looked to Sora, a devious grin on his face "Reminds me of you and Kairi."

Sora almost fell over from shock, blushing intensely. Meanwhile Marie snuggled against Spirit's fur, chuckling as her worries eased away "Kitty jacket!"  
He smiled, as they held hands "We promised to protect one another, and I intend to keep that promise" he looked into her eyes "You do too, right?"  
She eagerly nodded, as the three followed Riku down the corridors of the abandoned kingdom.  
"This place... reminds me a bit of Hyuponia..." she said "Except even that place didn't look as dreary..."  
"Hyuponia?"  
"Its called the Kingdom of Sorrow in Lunatea..." she paused "The fifth kingdom, when it appeared, chaos spread all over the planet, and nearly drowned the world in sadness... It turned out though that the king only wanted help, to be remembered... sometimes we mustn't judge those because of their backgrounds..."  
Spirit nodded, keeping her darker counterpart in mind "Sometimes they are misunderstood..."

They soon entered a large library, book cases organized in a maze-like fashion.

"He's probably still reading... I think he does it because of a memory he has." Riku explained. They all walked up a curving staircase, finally spotting a man in a black coat. He had long, silver colored hair that almost reached the floor, and what looked like a sword, tucked away under his coat flaps.

"It's you!" Sora exclaimed. The man turned around, revealing a pair of intense eyes. They were a mysterious shade of blue, and seemed to reflect a strange energy. His coat was open at the front, revealing a muscular physique.

"You two know eachother?" Riku asked.

"Yes... My name is Sephiroth; the One Winged Angel."

Sora nodded, calming down. He could tell that he wasn't here to fight, then explained "We once fought eachother in the colosseum in Olympus..." he scratched his head "Never thought I'd be seeing him soon..."  
Marie gazed on at this man in a dream like state, wondering why he arrived. Seeing his silver hair sway with every moment nearly brought out her playful kitten side, but she resisted it, uttering "One winged angel? That sounds familiar..." she scratched her head, picking at distant memories but soon dismissed the thought.  
Sephiroth looked at Spirit, almost peering into his very soul.

"So, you are the one I've been waiting for..." Spirit stared strangely at him, not having any clue what he meant.

"I was sent here to wait for you by the Gaia of light." Sephiroth explained.

"My mother! Is she here!" Spirit said joyously.

"No, she is elsewhere at this time. She sent me because this is my only chance to repent for my sins."

The Gaia's hopeful look diminished, a look of sadness was now upon him.

"Your sins?" Marie asked, going to Spirit to comfort him.

"I've done many horrible things in my life: Murder, attempted genocide, turning to the darkness... I'm surprised I was offered this second chance."

"Awww..." Marie nodded in understanding "Redemption's okay, I guess..."  
Sora rubbed his chin "Well, Spirit, looks like you have a guardian one winged angel..."  
Sephiroph glared slightly, approaching Spirit as Marie trailed behind, fighting off the urge to bat his hair around, when she realized.  
"Eeeee, you're tall..." she tilted her head up at him, then ducked behind Spirit.

"That sword of yours, It's different than the Gaia Blade used by your father. Because of your unique heart, it has become a multi-weapon known as Gaia Ultima."

Spirit looked puzzled, and was confused by all this talk of his powers, but wondered more of someone else "Where is my mother? I... want to meet her."

Sephiroth sighed, as if he was about to reveal something he shouldn't.

"Lumina, your mother, currently dwells within Zarconia's heart..." Spirit wiped his eyes, feeling more hopeful.

"However, I've been ordered to forbid your going there." Sephiroth continued.

"What! Why!" Spirit protested, tears beginning to stream down his fur.

"I'm sorry... I can't answer that..."

Marie frowned at the sight, Spirit's sorrows. She walked up to him, wiping away tears as she suddenly hugged him, burying her face in his vest. He didn't know it, but she suddenly teared too, but only a little. She looked up to him with a forced smile, her cheeks slightly pink.  
"Don't worry, Spirit..." her voice sounded different this time, having an emotional depth to it that he never noticed before, like as if she shared his feelings, thoughts and emotions "You'll see her someday, I just know it... for now, we just wait..." her eyes were slightly watering and she stared up to him in a pleading way "Okay? Just don't be sad..."

Spirit nodded, his blue eyes shimmering slightly.

"Spirit, your mother loves you very much: That's why she sent me." Sephiroth explained.

"Well, guess we should be getting out of here..." Sora said, a bored look on his face.

"Leave? Why you only just arrived a mysterious voice echoed. Riku was suddenly stricken with pain, his body surging with dark energy.

"It's him..."

"Riku!" Sora yelled. His friend rose to his feet, an evil smile on his face.

"I'm afraid your friend cannot hear you at the moment." he said, in a voice not his own.

"It can't be!" Sora exclaimed. A look of sheer horror befell him as he watched his friend's body vanish, another slowly taking its place. Marie clutched onto Spirit's vest, knowing well who this new entity was. It was a man with dark colored skin, a black and tan coat, and silver hair that dropped down to his back. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ansem: The Seeker of Darkness."

"No!" Marie said, clutching tighter to his vest. She closed her eyes, like as if to not witness who stood before her, and Spirit could tell that she really was scared. _What could he have done to her in the past... to haunt her this much?_, he thought to himself, materializing the ultima.  
"Don't worry, Marie..." he patted her head to calm her down, as she glared towards the enemy "I'll stop him!"  
A shadow puppet suddenly appeared in front of the two, grabbing Marie by an arm and leg as she clutched onto Spirit, until a sudden dark energy surged through her, only enough to make her lose grip. The creature appeared behind Ansem and the deity closed her eyes shut once again, praying this was only a nightmare.  
"Well if it isn't my little researching partner" he deviously smirked as a taunt to Spirit "You may still be useful to me!"

"Let her go!" Spirit shouted.

"Or what? Your power pales in comparison to my dark mastery." Ansem laughed, his body hovering above the ground "Riku tried so hard to drive my presence from his heart, but it was all in vain."

Spirit's body started to illuminate, almost ready to transform into his Gaian form. "That power! Heart and light combined!" Ansem exclaimed. Spirit wanted to attack Ansem, but feared he'd hurt Marie.

"Spirit! The Gaia Ultima is a purifying weapon! It's only purpose is to destroy evil, and those with pure hearts are unaffected by it!" Sephiroth explained. Spirit nodded and jumped into the air, slicing the muscular heartless in two. The blade passed right through Marie's body, not hurting her in the least. He then turned around and caught her as she fell, resting her head against his chest. "It seems I have underestimated you." Ansem said, chuckling a bit.

He then deviously smirked, staring down at the Gaia in great interest, plotting "I'll just have to wait and see what happens..." he faded away in darkness, leaving Spirit with his love, just slowly shaking away the terror in her heart. He knew she needed to calm down, and decided to softly sing a song in her ear, adding onto the end "I love you, forever and always... my heart is yours, your heart is mine..."  
She found herself falling asleep in his arms, as those last words echoed in her soul "We shall always protect eachother..."


	8. Chapter 8

Marie woke up sometime later, back in her bedroom. Spirit sat by her bedside with a warm smile. She sat up, letting out a pleasant mew.

"It's good to see you're okay..."  
She nodded "It was only a scare... that's all..."

The Klonian then noticed "Umm... Where's..."

"Sora's in his room... He just lost his best friend, so it's best to let him be, for now." 

Marie scowled, her hatred of Ansem growing "So that's how he survived... Tricking another into becoming his pawn." 

Spirit comforted her "We'll stop Ansem, and save Riku. It may be weak, but a part of him still exists within that madman."

She agreed and leapt out of her bed, glomping Spirit tightly, resting her head beneath his. "You're so sweet. With you around, I'll always feel safe."

She nodded, smiling "It's glad to see that you look on the bright side as well... never give up hope!"  
He chuckled, but then noticed her falling silent. She looked up to Spirit, he sensed distress in her heart.  
"When I saw you cry... I had a vision of the past..." she said softly "That's when I realized that my memories weren't erased, just really hard to remember... the vision I saw..." her voice became quieter "My mother dieing before my eyes to that assassin... the persecutions of long ago... so many vague memories... but if they could become clear... maybe there will be ones of Zeetan... how he could be stopped... not only that.."  
Her voice died down completely at that point and Spirit's cat ears perked. He stroked her long ear as a comfort, so soft and floppy. She forced out the last words "I want to know my past, no matter how painful... there's a place where we can go... the Maze of Memories..."  
"Maze?"  
"On Lunatea... my big brother should be there too... he knows that world like the back of his hand... and he could help us as well..."

Spirit laid a hand on her shoulder "If the memories get too intense, I'm here for you." Marie just smiled and kissed him. The shock of the moment caused Spirit to trip over himself, landing face first on the floor.

"Spirit, are you okay!" she exclaimed and helped him up.

"Yeah... I'll be fine..." he answered, trying to compose himself.

"Aww... You're so cute when you're shy"

Spirit's face was red from embarrassment, but he managed to force a slight smile "I just remembered, there's something I wanted to give you." he reached into one of his vest pockets and pulled out a small jewel, glistening in a multitude of different colors.

"It's a rare jewel from Zarconia. I picked it up before leaving, and I've been polishing and cleaning it ever since."

Marie looked back and forth between him and the jewel, her eyes starting to water "Spirit... I... Don't know what to say..."

He placed it in her open hand, closing it gently into a fist. A wonderful feeling of joy filled her heart. She couldn't hold it back anymore, and gave him a hug, making sure not to squeeze him, kissing his cheek. She then stepped back, giving him some time to catch his breath, his face entirely pink. The diety used her magic to create some string-like material, wrapping itself around the jewel. The string grew, the ends connecting themselves around her neck as a necklace.  
"I'll treasure it always..."

"So, we're going to the maze now?" Spirit asked.

"Yeah, but I think we should go alone. Lunatea isn't all that dangerous... And it'll give us some time together..." Marie then petted him, causing Spirit to purr uncontrollably "I don't know how I ever mistook you for a Feina; you're too cute to be one." Marie then stopped stroking his fur with great effort, and energized a portal. Spirit snapped out of his blissful state and hopped through, his love following after. They appeared on a snowy mountain, overlooking a great castle of some sort.

"This..." she raised her arms towards the sky, gesturing toward the valley, the mountains and it's snowy peaks "is the mountains of Mira Mira..."  
She then deviously grinned at Spirit, tackling him to the ground as he fell backwards in the snow. She nuzzled her kitten nose against his whiskers, causing him to smile and purr, but then he shivered.  
"Gee, even with fur this place is cold..." he said. Marie offered a hand to him, helping him up.  
"It's okay, we can warm up inside the maze..." she pointed to the giant building on another plateau, as he wondered.  
"How are we going to get there?"  
"Flying, silly" she said, taking his hand, causing both bodies to become suspended in midair "I love these telekinetic powers..."

She carried Spirit over the vast chasm, landing safely near the building "This is it... This is where I'll find out the truth..." Marie took a few deep breaths, preparing for what she might see. "Remember, no matter what we see, I'll still love you." Spirit said, now appearing less shy about his feelings for her. She nodded happily, before glomping him once more. Spirit shivered from the cold, but managed to laugh out of happiness.

"Let's go inside now... I don't want you to catch a cold." Marie helped Spirit up again, hugging him for warmth. Just then, he let out a series of coughs "Are you okay?" a look of concern spread across her face.

"I'm just not used to weather like this... Zarconia is almost always at a tropical climate."

"Ah, I have spent many hours in the mountains snow boarding with Klonoa... so I am used to it..."  
Taking his hand, she lead him inside to the bizarre world of memories. Broken glass on the ceiling, upside-down hallways, twisting paintings, flying books, vases on walls, Spirit couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, his mind boggled at all the sights. Marie chuckled.

"This place was weird for me during my first visit too..."  
She then pointed to some mirrors "At times, they'll reflect distant memories... but it is said that some that are intense can shatter the mirror..." she paused "Shattering the mirror is like shattering fragile emotions, joy, happiness..." she looked to Spirit uncertainly "But with you around, how could I be sad?"

Spirit smiled at Marie, then followed her down the strange hallways. The whole building seemed to be in its own dimension, devoid of rational physics. As they walked through the maze, something caught Spirit's eye. He spotted a mirror, reflecting his future. Upon sight of it, he immediately blushed and fainted.

"Huh! Spirit, what happened!" she exclaimed, trying to wake him. Marie then gazed upon the same sheet of glass but only saw her reflection. Though Spirit never revealed it, what he saw was of his family. Well... His new family.

"Spirit, Spirit?" he heard, as vision blurred back into view, seeing his love looking down at him, kneeling by his body "You okay?"  
He rubbed his head, unsure of how to respond, other than a simple nod. She offered a hand and helped him up, tilting her head in confusion."C'mon, we gotta hurry There must be a mirror somewhere..."  
She walked up to one, reflecting them both, but soon replaced by darkness, two silhouettes before them. A smaller version of Marie, wearing a golden collar and a tattered giant sweat shirt knelt down by another Klonian, pure white in color with green eyes. He stared at the sky, eyes dilating as his breathing quickened, a dark aura infecting him. Spirit recognized this as the darkness disease.

"Marie..." the boy in her vision spoke, his voice weakened greatly from the fever "I don't think I'm going to survive.."  
She shook her head "But you will, Alex... you're tough! You'll live..."  
"No..." he became weaker by the moment, closing his eyes in a great deal of pain "My end is nearing.. Marie..."  
"Alex..." she comforted him "Don't give up hope..."  
He smiled, eyes closing "Marie..." with his last breath, he uttered "I... love you..."  
His eyes closed, and the breathing stopped and her eyes widened.  
"Alex?" she nudged his body, limp and unmoving "Alex..."  
Her eyes began to water, and the vision soon ended as the mirror shattered before the two, the glass falling to the floor. Marie clenched her fist, staring at the dark void before her.

"Why... Why did you have to die..." Marie sobbed. She slowly turned to Spirit, but his back was turned. She soon noticed tears dripping to the floor, and realized what it was.

"Spirit... I..." Marie staggered, not knowing how to comfort him. "I loved Alex, but you're all that matters to me now... You're like him in a lot of ways, yet there are things about you that make me love you even more."

Spirit glanced back at Marie, eyes still tearing. 

"If I had to choose between you and Alex, I'd go for you every time."

He shook his head. "It's not that... The thing is... I remember it, too..."

Her breathing quickened, she found herself becoming nervous "You're... Alex?"  
He shook his head "No... I am myself... but what if there was a bit of Alex in me?"  
She scratched her chin, thinking "Maybe... but..." she didn't know what to think for once, but instead turned to him.  
"Maybe more memories... we should look for, that one was painful... so let's hope the other ones will be better..."  
She walked to another mirror, this time seeing an even younger version of herself, almost a baby, standing before a limp body covered in blood. Leie stood, staring down at his blood stained hand and another body before him, the one of Kiza. He turned to Marie, a look of concern in his face as he picked her up gently.  
"Daddy..." her voice was so soft and gentle "What happened to Mommy? Is she waking back up?"  
He shook his head, a silent tear falling down.  
"Come on... let's go, Marie..."  
"What about Mommy?"  
He didn't answer, his face changed slightly as he hugged her tighter. She was all he had left, and he intended to protect her with his life. He walked off, not wanting his surrogate daughter to become scarred at the sight.

Soon, the vision faded away, showing a new one to them both. Another young version of Marie stood before her father, a gash across his chest, stained in black. She knelt by his body, slowly dying as she begged "Daddy, don't leave me..." her eyes streamed with tears and he smiled, lifting up an arm to pat her."I'd never leave you..." he said with a cough "Even in death, I'm in your heart... just promise to stay strong..."  
She nodded her head "Don't worry, I'll heal you!"  
She held out her hands over his body, surrounded by the healing aura, until the spell backfired, sending a surge of pain through the young one's body, nearly knocking her out. He turned his head to her, frowning "Save your strength, young one, you'll need it to run from the mob..."  
"No" she said "I'm not leaving you!"  
"You will!" his voice changed, sounding harsh to scare her off "As your father, I command you to run away!"  
"Dadd-"  
"RUN!"  
It shocked her, scared her, she found herself confused and unsure of what to do. Leie started to cough some more, slowly dieing, his tone changing once again "Marie... there's no saving me... soon I'll meet my end... but you must save yourself..."  
"Daddy..."  
"You've been a good daughter, and the last thing I want to see is for you to get caught..." he said "You must be willing to go on, to make it through to the end, and see the world without persecutions..."  
She began to understand, and gave him one last gentle hug, and he returned the embrace with his last bit of strength. Soon his grip loosened, and his body fell limp. She stood and reluctantly turned away. Tears in her eyes, she did the only thing she knew to do; run.  
The vision immediately ended with the mirror shattering again as Marie fell to her knees, crying on the floor. The Klonian clutched her head with tear-streamed eyes "No, no more! They're too painful!"

Spirit knelt down by her, placing his hand on her shoulder. Marie turned and embraced him, crying heavily into his shoulder.

"Why is everyone I love taken from me!" she sobbed. Spirit just held her, trying to comfort her in some way.

"Marie, I'll always be here... I won't ever leave you..." She looked up at him, their blue eyes meeting. In that moment, their passion for one another seemed stronger than ever. They both leaned forward, closing their eyes. Before either realized what had happened, they kissed Marie couldn't hold back any emotions, and an energy flowed around the two. An aura with many shades of blue swirled around the two. Marie looked up at the spiraling vortex of beauty, blushing, Spirit looking up as well, but didn't know what to expect. The energy melded together, making an orb that slowly descended into Marie's open arms. She looked down at it, pulsing softly as it emitted a warmth, despite its glassy exterior. Spirit soon found himself stricken with curiosity, and asked her "What's that?"  
"Oh, oh..." she wiped away a tear and intensely blushed, her entire face turning pink as she forced a grin "It's erm... nothing..."

"Well, it's pretty, whatever it is." Marie forced an uneasy smile, somewhat relieved that he had no clue what it was.

"Umm... It's... Like a... Symbol, of how much we love eachother..." she quaked from anxiety as she said this, making Spirit wonder. He then placed his hand on the orb, causing it to glow brighter.

"It's warm... I don't know why, but it feels like it's saying something." 

Marie started to panic. "Why would it do that! It's just an orb!"

He chuckled "I know, but still..." Spirit stroked the orb gently, almost like he knew what was inside. Marie smiled at this, thinking "He's going to be a great father..."


	9. Chapter 9

"He'll know in time..." Marie thought to herself, standing up.  
"I have an idea, how about we go to La La Koosha?" she suggested "That's where Lolo lives, and where Lolo is... Klonoa is too..." she then looked down at the orb "But then again..." not just yet...  
"I know! Joliante! It's a fun place, it'd be nice to spend a night there together..." she chuckled, her blushing starting to subside "It's like an amusement park!"  
Spirit nodded happily "Sure! It sounds like fun!"  
Marie energized yet another portal, then turned to Spirit "It'll be faster this way. My brother had to use an air ship to get from the mainland to here."  
They both went through the portal, Marie holding tightly to the small orb. They arrived in the middle of a giant amusement park, surrounded by lights and decorations of all kinds. Rides and fun houses dotted the landscape, along with all manner of games and food stands.  
"Joliant's entire kingdom is like this. People come from all over Lunatea to see this place." Spirit looked around, eyes widened by the many sights. "It's like nothing I've ever seen before!"  
"It's a nice place..." she said, cradling the orb "At night, there's fireworks... but for now, there's rides!" she smiled in glee, eyeing the roller coaster as Spirit gulped slightly. She noticed straight away "It's okay, I can ride it alone... but you'll have to hold the orb..." she thought it over "Better yet, I'll just skip the roller coaster this time..." she looked towards the east to a mountain area "How about the Jungle slider? It's quite fun..."  
"Jungle slider?"  
She nodded "You take this board and go surfing down a river, it's one of Joliante's main attractions..."  
"I dunno..." Spirit frowned slightly "I can't exactly swim..."  
"You don't need to" she chuckled, taking his hand as she lead him off "Just don't fall off the board"  
He nodded uncertainly, placing his trust in Marie as she slipped the orb into her pocket, snugly and securely before hopping on a board. Shifting her balance to stay on the board, she immediately took off at a great speed, Spirit following behind. His technique wasn't as graceful, and Marie noticed, saying "It's okay, you'll get the hang of it real soon... heck, almost anyone can do this... just relax and don't worry..."  
She tilted the board at an angle, slowing her so Spirit wouldn't be left behind. Soon he found his balance, and smiled, how the boarding felt so good, the wind in his fur, the water splashing to a mist, he closed his eyes in the pleasant breeze, until Marie called to him "Lookout!"  
"Huh?" he opened his eyes to see himself coming at a spinning creature, then felt an impact followed by instant darkness. Sometime later, he made out the blurry vision of Marie kneeling by him on shore, her wings outstretched.  
"Thank goodness you're okay" she smiled "You had a wipe out... it's okay, though, you did really good for your first try..."  
Spirit coughed up some water, then looked at Marie.  
"Want me to carry you for a change?" she asked humorously. Spirit blushed, but managed to force a laugh. Suddenly, the deity picked him up and cradled him in her arms "Aww, you're not that heavy."  
She then placed him back down on the ground, giggling slightly "That was fun! You're like a little plushie!"  
Spirit looked amazed by her feat of strength, but was also extremely embarrassed. Marie didn't mind, actually, she didn't seem to notice and she said "Let's go, we haven't seen the haunted house yet!"  
He sat up, rubbing his head. The sun dried the last bit of water from his fur. Marie offered him a hand and helped him up. She then took the orb out of her pocket, cradling it in her arms and walked by him. He looked curiously, then asked "Why can't I hold it for you?" he seemed to noticed that she was avoiding contact between him and the orb.  
"Erm... you see..." she was lost for words in a moment "It's hard to explain, it's a Cryssnan thing..."  
She forced a smile and lead him through the park, up to a dark house.  
"There are some real ghosts here, but they're harmless" she chuckled "Sometimes it's fun to remind them that they can't hurt us"   
The doors opened for them automatically with an eerie creak, upon which they stepped inside. It then closed behind them, leaving the two in a gloomy, medieval room. An odd looking ghost descended in front of them. It stared at them with a freakish grin, and two beady eyes glowing yellow like the heartless' would.  
"Welcome to the haunted manor... I trust you will have a frightening experience!" it laughed. "Either you're really dead, or you need a mint, pronto!" Marie flatly said, the ghost right in her face.  
"You try brushing your teeth with an ectoplasmic hand..." it replied, drifting off again. She chuckled, turning to Spirit "I know it seems mean, but if you don't tease 'em, then they may try to terrify you..."  
He nodded, taking her hand as she suddenly leapt into a dark pit with no bottom. Spirit felt his heart skip a beat, and also yelled, until Marie landed on a drum moving across a pit of fire and giggled.  
"Do you really think I'd hurt us?" she asked, as he nervously looked to the side, descending into a dark abyss. He then noticed gaps in the path and panicked until he saw Marie, calm and collected. The drums magically hopped across every gap, and soon the path ended back to solid ground, and she leapt, taking Spirit with her back onto solid ground. They approached a door, Spirit still trying to catch his breath as she chuckled "It's ok, just a few thrills and chills, huh?" He nodded slightly, face paler than usual.  
Marie took Spirit through the rest of the mansion, going through all manner of rides and puzzles. Spirit's heart was racing by the end, and he was mentally and physically exhausted.  
"Too many drops..." he said, body quaking.  
"I'm sorry... I didn't know you were afraid of heights." Marie petted him gently, then helped him up. Spirit stumbled a bit from dizziness, but managed to stay on his feet. She then took the orb out again, stroking its glassy exterior. The deity knew exactly what was inside it, but didn't know how to tell Spirit. As he calmed, nearly falling asleep, Marie pocketed the orb and looked to the sky holding the exhausted Gaia in her arms. Brilliant colors dazzled and streaked across the heavens, followed by loud booming sounds.  
"Look Spirit" she gestured towards the sky "Fireworks, aren't they pretty?"  
He didn't answer, already asleep in her arms. She smiled, using magic to fade into a portal, ending up back at home. Spirit awoke that morning to find Marie sleeping, head rested on his stomach, orb cradled in arms. Even in her sleep, she kept a grip on it.  
Spirit felt compelled to touch it, some feeling coming from the energy it emitted, as he laid his hand on the glassy shell, suddenly feeling dizzy. He took his hand away, feeling weaker "It absorbs energy?"  
Spirit pondered this discovery for quite a while, until Marie woke up. He didn't want to ask her anything about it, not wanting her to feel uncomfortable.  
"Spirit, I was thinking... Why don't we go to Zarconia and meet your mother?"  
"But, Sephiroth forbids it..." Marie hopped out of bed and looked at him. "I don't care what he says... You should be allowed to see your own mother."   
He smiled "You're right!"  
"Have I ever been wrong?"  
He nodded in agreement, allowing her to open the portal. This time it took slightly more time to form. Spirit took notice, thinking if the orb had something to do with it, but soon the vortex formed. He took her hand, leaping through as Marie found herself in a city filled with cat-like people. Like Marie's home planet, the world seemed quite beautiful, but modernized. She looked up towards the sky, buildings towering above her. A smile spread across her face "This place is so cool!"  
"It feels like it's been years since I was last here." Spirit said. Suddenly, they both noticed someone behind them.  
"It appears the bounty has returned." it said, apparently female by voice. She had orange colored armor covering her entire body, and a green visor that revealed her eyes somewhat.  
"Who are you?" Marie asked tilting her head with a slight 'meep'.  
"I am bounty hunter first class; Samus Aran. I've been hired to take in the renegade prince." she lifted up a gun that was attached to her arm, pointing it directly at Spirit and Marie.  
"You have it all wrong! Spirit's not the bad one, it's his parents!" she quickly explained, standing between her gun and Spirit. The bounty hunter looked unconvinced, as Marie continued "It's true, Spirit would never do evil! He has helped me fight the darkness, and saved me many times..."  
The deity looked to her with pleading eyes "All we want to do is see Lumina... please?"  
She thought a second, taking down her blaster "I'll trust you, for now..."  
The bounty hunter turned, gesturing to follow as the two stared on dumbfounded "What are you waiting for? You can't be out in the open..."  
"Oh!" Spirit said, following her as he took Marie's hand, the two placing their trust in Samus. "Who is this 'Lumina' you're searching for?"  
"She's... My mother..." Spirit answered, not knowing if she'd believe him.   
"I didn't know my mother for that long... My home space colony, K2-L, was ravaged by space pirates when I was still young."  
Marie looked confused. "Space pirates?"  
Samus nodded. "A ruthless army of genetically enhanced thieves. They attack planets, plundering the resources and technology for their own use. Their leader is a bio-mechanical organism known as Mother Brain."  
"Meh..." Marie frowned at hearing that and tugged Spirit's sleeve, asking "Didn't Seph say that she's in the heart of this world? Where's that? Maybe it's... where the keyhole is!"  
"I remember talk of something like that in the castle..." Spirit rubbed his chin, walking down a path, suspended by a technological force. Marie gazed all around at the other cat-like people, not giving much notice to the alien that walked the streets. A look of excitement spread across her face "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go there!"  
As they walked through the city streets, she noticed that no one was using vehicles of any kind.  
"Spirit, why is everyone walking?"  
He chuckled a bit "Zarconians don't believe in relying on anything but themselves for transportation. Despite our technology, we still have many deep-rooted beliefs."  
Just then, Samus stopped "We've got company!"  
Spirit and Marie looked in front of them, only to see a towering machine. It had two massive mechanical legs, supporting its large, jet-like body.  
"Oh no!" Spirit gasped "That's a Zarconian guard mech!"  
A sensor appeared from the underside of its hull; a robotic eye locking onto them. The tip of its body then opened up, revealing a large gun.   
"We've got to get out of here! That's Zarconia's most powerful weapon: The Hyperion Cannon! It releases a burst of pure energy that can vaporize anything in a second!"  
Marie grinned deviously, not budging an inch, materializing shield of bright energy, fazing around her arms. The blast fired, and she leapt in the way, reflecting the beam right back at it and her body received a shock, pushing her backwards. She braced herself, stiffening her legs and pushing against the ray. The beam decimated the robot with a small explosion and Maire turned to Spirit, her fur sticking upwards from static as she huffed out smoke in a cough. She looked at her hands, the gloves burned as she grumbled "Darn, this stuff is powerful enough to break through mythril? Let's hope we won't run into anymore..."  
The fur on her hand seemed to steam slightly, and the force of the blast bruised them, causing Spirit to ask "Are you okay?"  
She twitched her fingers slightly, wincing as she did so "Ya, it only stings at the moment, doesn't seem like I'll be using my hands much..."   
Spirit took off his gloves and handed them to Marie. "They're not much, but they should give your hands some protection." He helped get them on, being careful not to hurt her. As Samus watched this, she thought, "No way that's a bad kid."  
Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared in front of them, his coat rustling in the breeze.  
"Sephiroth! How did you get here?" Spirit exclaimed.  
"I have my ways..."  
Marie turned to him. "We're not going back until we find Spirit's mother!"   
Sephiroth smiled at the two, letting out a short laugh. "I couldn't stop you if I wanted to. You should be able to know who your mother is... I never did, and look at what I've done over the course of my life."  
The Gaia looked at Sephiroth with a look of surprise. "I was assigned to be your guardian, and that's what I'm going to do."  
"Yeah..." Marie clutched her shoulder "We'll need guarding..."  
Spirit suddenly noticed her limp arm and she quickly explained "Even though I have no innards like most beings, I do have a structure... like bones... almost..." she forced a smile "I think the impact shattered it..."  
"Huh?"  
"It's like as if it broke her arm..." Sephiroph said "But if she's a goddess, it should heal in a few hours..."  
"Until then..." she mumbled, wincing slightly "We best find Lumina, if there are things out here willing to attack with everything they have..."  
She shuddered at the thought "Why don't you lead the way, Seph?"   
He nodded, then pointed to a giant castle. "That's where the portal to Lumina is."  
Spirit nodded happily. "I can lead us inside. I used to sneak around in there all the time."  
Marie suddenly realized something, and carefully took the orb out of her pocket. "Umm... Spirit... Could you hold on to this for me?"  
He took it, forgetting that simply touching it sapped energy from his body. It emitted a light blue aura in his hands, as if altering how much energy it would take from him at a time. As Spirit looked at the orb, he felt a sudden joy.  
"Something's in here... Could it be?"  
"Just be very careful with it..." Marie reminded, as he lead them inside through an entrance hidden to the side, behind some thick undergrowth. Spirit held Marie's free hand gently, just in case if she'd trip, and held the orb firmly in the other hand. He could sense a very great power in it, and didn't want to break it.  
"Okay, we're in..." he said, looking over to Sephiroph "Lead the way..."  
He nodded, walking down the corridors to a stone staircase that descended into darkness. It felt like walking through a dungeon, silent, cold, barely any life, but it didn't bother the small party at all. Soon, they came to a room, revealing a door and a hey hole, as Sephiroph said "Only Gaia's and divine beings can pass through here... I'll just wait in this room with Samus..."  
They both nodded in unison, stepping through the light. The two appeared on a platform suspended in space, stars falling like rain all around them.  
"Is this it? There's no one here..." Marie said, looking around. Spirit's eyes began to tear up, and he dropped to his knees on the floor, crying from the loneliness he felt in his heart, like he had just been abandoned. Marie wanted to comfort him, but knew there was nothing she could do. As he sobbed, he suddenly felt someone's touch upon his shoulders. Opening his eyes, he saw an elegantly dressed woman, with blonde hair that went down to the floor.  
"Mom..." Spirit gasped. She knelt down by him and held him in her arms, crying as well.  
"It's okay... I'm here..."  
"Whoa..." Marie stared out wide-eyed, as she smiled "Your mother's really pretty, and nice..."  
She looked over to her, her eyes, soft and blue just like Spirit's.  
"And you must be Marie... the goddess of water..."  
She nodded eagerly, still clutching to her arm. Lumina noticed, holding her hand over it, softly glowing as the pain eased away instantly and felt movement once again.  
"Wow... thanks!" she said, turning to Spirit with a cuddle "I can have the orb back now..."  
"Okay..." he said, handing it over carefully. Lumina took notice of it and asked him "Do you know the true purpose of that orb?"  
He shook his head "Marie never told me it's true purpose, but said it's a symbol of our love..."  
Marie started blushing and made silent gestures to Lumina not to tell, but it was too late. She leaned over and whispered it into Spirit's ear. His expression suddenly turned to extreme surprise, as he blushed uncontrollably and blacked out on the ground.  
"That's why I didn't tell him!" Marie exclaimed, as she rushed over to the Gaia and tried to wake him. Lumina walked over, picking him up gently "I'm sorry, but it's best that he knows..."  
Marie looked up at her, noticing how much taller she was than Spirit "So... Why was he born to a mortal family, and why does he have Alex's memories?"  
The mother Gaia smiled lovingly, still cradling Spirit in her arms "Gaias aren't able to bear children. We can create life, but we can't sustain it. However... That doesn't make him any less my son." she then paused for a moment "As for his memories, it was Alex's soul who protected his when Spirit was transferred to the mortal world. A few of Alex's memories may have rubbed off on him, but Spirit is his own person; His feelings for you are his own."  
She smiled slightly "I just hope he doesn't mind becoming a father... it surprised him a lot..." she cradled the orb, the heat nearly lulling her to sleep "I thought he might be resentful... it isn't uncommon for a Cryssnan to become a parent without intending too..."  
Lumina laid a hand gently on her shoulder, lying Spirit down by her. Marie rested his head on her lap, as the Gaia comforted her "I'm sure he won't mind being a father too much, he'll still love you, and your new addition... until then, let him rest, it was quite a shock to me too, but I had no clue my son was that shy..."  
Marie giggled "That's one of the reasons why I love him, those who are shy are usually worried about the other person's feelings, they care deeply about others..."  
Lumina smiled, then patted Marie on the head. "You're going to make a great daughter in-law." Marie happily mewed, then noticed Spirit waking up. She knelt down by him, waiting for him to regain full consciousness.  
"Spirit, I'm so sorry that I never told you... I was worried of what you might think."  
He looked at her, somewhat surprised "Marie... It's a shock, but... How could I not love my own children?" Her eyes lit up at these words, and she hugged him tightly. "This orb won't hatch for quite a while, so we have alot of time to prepare."  
"Speaking of which, how long would that be?" Spirit asked, placing his hand upon the glassy surface, wanting to hold it "Just curious, you know..."  
"Three Cryssnan seasons..." Marie said, forcing a shy smile.  
"Or eleven earth months" Lumina said, obviously having great knowledge of Cryssnan culture, probably from her talks with Marie's parent spirits "I wonder... if it'll be a boy, or a girl?"  
"Either way, I betcha it'll be adorable!" Marie said, Spirit nodding.  
"You two should probably be going. Your friends are probably waiting for you." Lumina said, creating a portal. Marie went through it, but Spirit stopped and looked at his mother.  
"I'm sorry I kept the truth from you; I was just so worried that you'd resent me for it."   
Spirit walked up to Lumina, and threw his arms around her. "I could never resent you..."  
She pat his soft, blonde hair, saying "You look just like your father."  
Spirit smiled, wiping a tear from his eye. He then stepped through the portal, leaving Lumina alone. "You can beat Zeetan... You have the power..."  
The two appeared before Sephiroph and Samus, in the basements of the castle. Marie materialized another portal in a moment, explaining "I don't think it's safe if we remain here, if there's bounty hunters here after Spirit..." she tilted her head "Speaking of bounty hunters, why don't you join us, Samus?"  
"?"  
"We combat the darkness, trying to save the universe... who knows, maybe you'll get great rewards" she explained "And if you don't, you can always think of it as charity..."  
Samus nodded "As a part of the Galactic Federation, it's my duty to defeat evil wherever it lurks." Everyone then hopped into the portal, not knowing they were being watched.  
"Pirate 104-5 reporting in to Chozodia. The hunter has just left to Earth with a Zarconian, Human, and another, unknown species." The creature was shielded by the shadows, but its form was unlike anything ever seen.


	10. Chapter 10

Upon arriving at earth, Marie lead Samus inside, saying "This is our home, there's like... a bazillion rooms for friends who want to stay a night, or even possibly live here..."  
She opened the door, and gasped, seeing another creature much like her, except slightly taller, with a shorter tail. He also dressed differently than her. She instantly recognized him as an old friend and yelled "Klonoa!" giving him a sudden hug. He smiled, soft hazel eyes gazing on and returned the embrace. She then stepped back and turned to the Gaia "Spirit, this is my big brother, Klonoa!"  
"Nice to meet you" he said, hand extended to shake. Spirit forced a grin, and shook his hand, Klonoa chuckling "So you're the one Kina told me about..."  
"Kina?" Marie tilted her head "you've been to Cryssna recently?"  
He shook his head "No, Kina found me and sent me here with Lolo..." his expression became serious "She talks of a plague on Cryssna, first these strange dark creatures got around the shields... and now Cryssnans are falling ill..."  
Marie gasped "The darkness disease!"  
He nodded, letting out a sigh "The council is keeping the disease under control, but Kina wanted me to warn you... Lolo went there to try and find a cure..."  
A tear dropped, as Marie laid a hand on his shoulder "What happened?"  
"She has caught the disease, and things don't look good... I brought her here to see if you could possibly find a cure..."  
Marie smiled, and then pulled out the white feather she had gotten from Spirit.  
"This has healing powers. It saved me, so it should work on Lolo too."  
Klonoa was stunned, but he led the way to the couch he had laid her down on. She was almost motionless; her breathing the only sign that she was still alive. Marie placed the feather in Lolo's hands, which then faded into a shimmer of light.   
"Did it work?" Klonoa asked. Suddenly, Lolo gave a soft moan, her eyes slowly opening.  
"Ugh... Where... Am I?" she asked, still recovering. Klonoa hugged her gently and Marie knelt by her, saying "You became sick with the darkness disease... luckily, all the Cryssnans you tried to cure have a stronger constitution..." she paused "Meaning whoever did this to them wasn't aiming to take out the race, but to immobilize it... but what for?"  
Meanwhile, Luce stood before an alter in Cryssna, no one able to guard the relic due to sickness. She placed her hands on the sphere, a dark blue, and lifted it from its resting place, disappearing into the shadows. Back at the lair, she returned to Zeetan with the same blank stare as usual, holding it out to him "I have retrieved the materia kept on Cryssna..."  
"Excellent..." he laughed evilly, taking the sphere in her hand "This makes two now! And Luce, check up on our new henchmen, I want to see what he plans to do!"  
"Yes, master" she blankly said, disappearing back into the shadows. At this point, she lost complete free will, unable to resist the darkness in any way, and could only hope that Zeetan would be stopped. When she reappeared, she was in the space pirates ship, approaching the reptilian creature.  
"Ridely" she said "Zeetan wants to know of anything you're planning!"   
He turned around, body screeching from the motors in his artificial limbs "My pirate fleet is in position... Tell Zeetan that he shall have his Materia."  
Luce nodded, and then vanished into the shadows once more.  
"And I shall have my revenge on the hunter..." Ridley hissed, turning back around.  
Back at the house, Klonoa and Lolo had been filled in on the situation, and the next world to visit was in debate.  
"I think I know where we could find another ally." Samus said. Everyone looked at her, focusing intently "There's a far off planet called Popstar that's home to a young Star Warrior. I met him at a tournament long ago, along with many other great heroes."   
Marie listened very closely, more so than usual as Samus talked of the legendary star warrior called 'Kirby', who despite his small size, had great power.  
"It sounds like he could be a great help with his copy ability!"  
"The thing is..." Samus continued "He doesn't seem to talk a lot... actually, I don't know if he could speak at all, but he does seem to understand people..."  
"Hum..." Marie thought "It's a cryssnan ability to know someone's intent, what they could possibly be thinking by staring deeply into one's eyes, peering into emotions... so maybe that may work..."  
"Then again, it may not..." Klonoa said "I'll stay here with Lolo as she recovers, you, Spirit and Samus and you can go to find this star warrior!"  
"Who died and made you leader?" a distorted voice said, as a ring in Klonoa's hand started to vibrate, a creature jumping out of its gem. He had strange striped arms, and glassy, green eyes that resembled two sheets of glass. It wore nothing but a bandana.  
"Pipe down, Popka!" Marie seemed to already know what he was saying "Meh brother's talking!"  
"Heh, I have an idea!" he said "How about I tag along, you could all use some protection!"  
He extended his white claws, showing them off as Marie began to burst out into laughter "Yeah right!"  
He glared coldly at the child and she suddenly realized he was being serious "Oh! I see, you wanna go to other worlds?"  
He nodded, as Lolo explained "He has recently developed this desire to broaden his horizons and see other worlds..."  
"But you can't go, Popka, because Lolo isn't strong enough for the trip... you're like her guardian" Marie pat his head jokingly, as he huffed at her, but then realized.  
"Yeah, I guess you're right..." he said "I'd never leave her side!"  
Marie nodded, then opened up a new portal "Let's go! This Kirby sounds like he'd be a big help!" Everyone except for Klonoa, Lolo, and Popka went through. They reappeared in the middle of a bright, sunny world, lively and full of color, and in the distance, a great castle stood perched on a cliff.  
"This area of Popstar is known as Dreamland. Kirby should be close by."  
Just then, a loud rumble shook the ground. Within seconds, a spiked cloud monster with a single, enormous eye crashed down by them. It sparked with electricity, looking ready to attack. As it sent out a bolt of lightning, the attack was sucked away by something. Everyone turned, seeing what looked like a pink ball with feet. It swallowed the lightning bolt, and its body started changing. A head dress of green, plasma energy appeared, and the creature's body began surging with electricity. He released a blast of concentrated energy at the monster, causing it to explode in a shower of sparks. The creature returned to normal, and he walked happily over to the others. "Poyo!" it said in a cheery voice.  
"It's good to see you, Kirby."  
"That's Kirby!" everyone else exclaimed.  
"He's more than you think."  
Marie looked at Kirby closer.  
"He's got maximum pink."  
"Meep?" she stared into his child-like eyes, tilting her head as he yelled out "Aye!" hurting her sensitive, Klonian ears. He stared blankly outward, and Samus started talking to him "It's been awhile" she said, receiving a simple nod and smile.  
"Hi Kirby..." Marie crouched down, curling her tail "Would you like to be my friend?"  
He hopped up happily and glee, as she giggled "I'll take that as a yes!"  
"What was that thing that attacked us?" Spirit wondered.  
"That was a monster from Nightmare Enterprises." a mysterious voice said. Suddenly, another being appeared out of thin air. He looked much like Kirby, but was blue, and had a metal mask covering all but his intense eyes.  
"Allow me to introduce myself: I am Meta-Knight."   
Everyone stared at him blankly.  
"Nightmare Enterprises..." Marie mumbled.  
"They are an evil company that produces monsters, and sends them all over the universe. It is both mine and Kirby's duty as Star Warriors to destroy these monsters, and defeat the company's master; N.M.E."  
"Hum..." Marie stroked her furry chin, thinking "Sounds like someone Zeetan would recruit... I wonder..."  
She looked over to Metaknight "Have you seen any strange creatures of darkness yet? Void of emotion, they seek other people's hearts..."  
He shook his head "Not lately..."  
"Though I wouldn't doubt that they could appear here" Spirit said "It seems Zeetan follows and attacks us a lot... so it could happen soon..."  
"Maybe we can look around here?" Marie suggested, approaching Metaknight "Could you be our guide?"   
He shook his head "There is somewhere I must go, but I can tell you where those monsters are coming from." He then pointed to the castle, Samus pressed some buttons on the side of her helmet to zoom in "That is the castle of Dreamland's king Dedede. He has been ordering monsters from N.M.E. to try and defeat Kirby."   
"What could he have against Kirby?" Spirit asked.   
"Kirby protects the citizen's from his tyrannical rulership. Were it not for Kirby's crash landing on Popstar, the people might still be under Dedede's influence." Meta-Knight then walked off, disappearing once more.  
"We should probably check that out. This Nightmare Enterprises could have some connection to Zeetan." Spirit suggested. Marie nodded in agreement, leading the group off towards the castle, saying "I wonder, should we just enter in, or should someone sneak in?"  
"Well, the castle is usually guarded by creatures called waddle dees" Samus said "But oddly, it's open to the public... still..."  
"We shouldn't draw too much attention to ourselves..."  
"Ah well, what's the worst that could happen?" Spirit said, holding Marie's hand loosely. In her other hand she held the orb, becoming a normal sight to him. Meanwhile, they were being watched by someone.  
"Darn that there Nightmare Enterprises! That Kracko monster was as wimpy as the last one!" a penguin-like creature said "And now we got ourselves more aliens! As if that Kirby wasn't bad enough!"  
A large snail with a mustache crawled up beside him "Well, your majesty, might I suggest..."  
He was cut off prematurely by a hammer to the head.  
"Who cares what you think? I pay you to be a sidekick, Escargoon, not a strategist."  
As always, the king's advisor mumbled something witty and he continued to closely monitor the screen. The king rubbed his chin, seeing how the group was about to enter that castle, and pressed a button on the arm of his chair. The screen moved up to the side, making room for a platform to the side, as a grey man in a cheesy business suit and sunglasses appeared on screen.  
"Why hello again, King Dedede" he said in a casual voice "Have you come to pay your debts this time?"  
The penguin man grumbled "I told you I'll pay once you send me a monster that won't fail!"  
"Might I remind you owe us 99,800,000 DD dollars?" he said, bringing out a calculator as the irate king mumbled below his breath.  
"Will you just send me a monster already? We have some special guests from another world!"  
"Very well, your majesty. We have a very special monster prepared for you." Suddenly, the platform in the center of the room began to spark and energy balled above it. The energy then shifted into some kind of sphere. It was a dark color, almost like looking at a pocket of space. "What the heck is this thing?" Dedede wondered, Escargoon cowering behind him. The sphere then took yet another form. It was a gold horned being with pure black eyes. A dark purple cape was wrapped around its body, and its face was long and dark. "I must thank you for being my best customer, but it's time for you to pay up!"  
Meanwhile, as the group approached the inner sanctums of the castle, Marie suddenly stumbled, her vision blurry. Before anyone could notice, she fell to the ground, seeming to be weakened. The stone floor felt cool against her body, and she found herself unable to move for a moment until Spirit turned around and gasped, rushing to her side to help her up. She blinked in a daze at him, taking his hand.  
"What happened there?"  
She shook her head, rubbing the back of her scalp saying "I don't know, maybe I just conked out a moment, but I'll be fine..."  
A couple of screams sounded from upstairs.  
"Something dark approaches." Sephiroth said in a cryptic tone. In that very moment, a flash of light appeared, shifting into the horned monster. Kirby gasped at the sight, obviously knowing who it was. The creature smiled with a set of razor-sharp teeth and it caught sight of the small Star Warrior.  
"Who are you!" Spirit demanded.   
"I am the owner of Nightmare Enterprises' 24 hour monster delivery service, but you may know me as NME.!" They were all stunned by this, not believing it at first. Kirby ran up to NME, a look of determination about him. He tried to inhale the demonic manager, but NME just laughed and shot a stream of black stars out of his finger tip, knocking the pink warrior into a stone column.   
"Spirit, we must stop him!" Marie said, clutching her head "This person's strong... the natural shift has fallen out of balance because of him..."  
"?" Spirit looked over to her "Is this what's effecting you?"  
She nodded, then looked to see more black stars fly, a bunch heading in Spirit's direction. Before he could think, Marie leapt in front, holding out her arms, creating a shield just in time to protect them both. She then winced and rubbed her head again.  
"So dizzy, I can barely focus, Spirit, I don't think I'll be much help against this enemy..."  
He nodded, materializing the ultima as Samus blasted away at the enemy, leaving it unscathed. He turned to Marie one last time, looking down upon the orb as he smiled "You just take cover, we'll get him!"  
Just then, a beam of light hit NME from behind. He remained unfazed, but it was enough to call his attention. Meta-Knight stood behind him, holding an orange, spiked sword, in the other hand, a rod with a golden star on the top.  
"I just payed a visit to the Fountain of Dreams, and came across the weapon capable of defeating you."  
He tossed the rod to Kirby, who inhaled it. The tiny doppelganger began glowing, a great power ready to reveal itself. The rod reappeared in his hand, now emitting the same aura. NME moved back a bit, shielding his eyes from the light.  
"I... Won't let you hurt my friends." Kirby said, shocking everyone.  
"He can talk?"  
NME turned to Meta-Knight, a look of extreme hatred about him "You've been a thorn in my side for years, Star Warrior!"  
In an instant, NME swiped at the lone swordsman, his mask catching the front of the blow. A crack ran down the center, finally splitting it in two. Meta-Knight landed hard on the ground, his true face now revealed. Kirby became enraged at the sight of his fallen comrade, striking the monster. NME tried defending himself, flinging more dark stars around the room. Spirit found himself batting the projectiles away with the sword, Marie giving into the dark daze.  
The fight dragged on and on, until Kirby struck a spot under the cloak, making impact as his foe let out a wail in pain. He found the weak spot, and continued striking until NME found himself weakened and in great pain. With one final glare, another darkness surrounded him, one that wasn't his own.  
"Zee...tan..." Marie mumbled in her daze, staring up weakly. Spirit gasped, ready to strike at the darkness, but soon it all faded away, and NME disappeared.  
"So, the darkness has followers." Sephiroth thought to himself. Meta-Knight rose from the floor, his body bruised. He looked almost exactly like Kirby, except he was a dark blue color. Kirby walked over, not believing what he saw.  
"Meta... Knight..." he said timidly.  
"Kirby... I guess there's no hiding the truth now..." He then paused for a moment, smiling "When N.M.E. created the monster that wouldn't obey him, circumstances had you believe that it was you... I was, in fact, that monster, and you... Are my son..." Kirby was taken aback by this. "That's why I was always so tough on you... You're destined to be the greatest Star Warrior of us all, and you have just proven that."  
All the while Marie found the world coming back into view. Fighting away the dizziness, she felt herself being lifted gently, and opened her eyes to see Spirit's face, looking down at her with a gentle smile. She purred softly, it felt pleasant being in his arms, and she found herself drifting off to sleep. She woke up sometime later in a soft, white bed in another castle room, Metaknight looking down at her with slight interest. Obviously, he was well rested at this point, and she sat up, beginning to wonder why he was there.  
"Your friends are waiting outside" he said "And Kirby has decided to join you in fighting Zeetan in the heartless, as a star warrior, it is his responsibility to help fight for the Dream Land..."  
She smiled, but then asked "And what about you, you're a star warrior as well, right?"  
"Yes" he said "But at the same time, I am a loyal subject to the king, and am tied to this castle..."  
She frowned "But why? Can't you just leave to help us? Isn't it your duty as a star warrior to help others?"  
He sighed "It is my duty to serve the king, but I know now that Kirby is in good hands..."  
She threw off the covers and hopped out of the bed, turning to him one last time, nodding.  
"I understand..." she said with a cordial bow, a Cryssnan custom "Thank-you, sir Metaknight, even if we must leave, we shall remember you as a great friend and ally."  
He subtly nodded, letting her exit the room before saying "Good-bye, young warrior, may you rise victorious among the dark powers!"  
She eagerly nodded and quickly ran outside, glomping Spirit on sight "Let's go home! We'll have to get a room ready for Kirby!"  
Marie opened a portal, and everyone stepped through. Meanwhile, beneath the ocean, Zeetan was plotting a new scheme. Luce, Ridley, and NME followed him through a stone path, the sea hovering above the land.   
"Behold Hyrule, the ancient civilization lost beneath the waves at the hands of their very leader. "This had better be good..." Ridley mumbled. They approached a stone pedestal, a sword embedded within it.  
"This is it, the Four Sword! Within it lies the spirit of a powerful wind mage."  
Luce walked up to it, placing her hand upon the sword. A surge of energy emanated from it and sent her back. She stared upside down in a daze, rising to her feet.  
"My dear, that sword was made to repel evil... But it has never come upon an evil such as mine before!" Zeetan raised his arm to the sword, a series of dark energy spikes appearing around it. "Witness the power of my Soul Spear!" The spikes shot forward, lodging into he sword's blade. He then clenched his spectral hand into a fist, causing the sword to surge with his dark energy. Within seconds, the sword exploded into tiny fragments, spreading across the ground. "Grahahahaha!" an ominous voice laughed. A tornado arose from the pedestal, a gigantic eye opening in the center of it "Who dares to awaken the great wind mage; Vaati!"


	11. Chapter 11

"Your new master, Zeetan!" the dark one said, adding an insane laugh. The creature before him took on the form of a person, dark and purple. He glared at Zeetan, trying to pierce his soul, but Zeetan didn't budge, didn't back down, instead, gave him back the same cold stare, only more intense.  
"I have no master" Vaati said with a final glare, ready to walk off until a dark surge of power surge through him, and Zeetan faded slightly. He appeared in front of the mage with a hand on his forehead. Vaati struggled against the grip, the darkness flowing around him. He tried his best to resist, but soon found himself giving into the darkness.  
"I live to obey you, master" he said in the same manner Luce did. Then, Zeetan turned to his other comrades, addressing Ridely and NME "Let this be an example to those who don't join me willingly!"  
They both nodded, Ridely gulping slightly.  
Meanwhile, night approached for the warriors. Kirby and Samus settled into their own rooms, as well as the dream traveler, Klonoa and his own two friends. Marie and Spirit returned to his room, ready to rest once again.  
"Another day, another world saved from darkness..." Marie said, lazily making her way to the bed when a portal appeared on the floor. Spirit looked at it confusedly, and the godess tilted her head.  
"Odd, I didn't make a portal..." she said, raising a brow. She approached it slowly, when suddenly a dark arm appeared from it, grasping onto her leg, pulling her down into the abyss. Spirit's eyes widened, and ran to her, grabbing onto her arm. He pulled against the creature, but soon found himself lifted from the ground, being pulled inside along with Marie.  
Thrown out from the other side into a vast ocean, many worlds away, Marie passed out from the darkness, and crashed into the waters, drifting on top of the gentle waves. Spirit landed just a few feet away. But he was unable to swim and thrashed against the waters, trying to make his way over to Marie, but failing. The water slipped above his head, his body sinking further down, and then darkness surrounding him.

Before all faded away, he saw someone come at him, grabbing his arm...

Spirit woke up sometime later on shore, a strange, person staring down at him curiously. He blinked, her skin was light blue like a fish, she had fins on her arms and back, making her look like some angel from the seas. She smiled, turning to another aquatic person, who had darker skin, a pointed fin from his head, and a green pair of shorts.   
"It looks like they both survived" he said, kneeling by Marie's body. He noticed that even while passed out, she kept a firm grip on the orb, and was glad that it wasn't lost in the ocean. The other one nodded, lifting the small child's body. Soon he felt his body lifted as well. and being carried off in the person's arms. Spirit tried to stay awake, but soon passed out once more. When he awoke for the second time, he noticed Marie standing over him, a loving smile on her face.  
"I'm so glad you're alright!" she said, hugging him with one hand, the other carrying the orb. "Where... Are we?" he asked, looking around the unfamiliar room, blue, decorated with shells and fish bones, with some musical instruments off to the side.  
"I'm not completely sure, but the people who rescued us are really nice."  
Spirit coughed a bit, lungs still holding some water, until Marie took his hand. With a glow, she placed it upon his chest, and the coughing ceased, no longer being irritated by water.  
"Thanks..." he said, and Marie took his hand.  
"Just wait til you see what's outside this room!"  
Walking outside the room with Marie, he saw a stage before him that resembled a giant opened clam, a pool of water in front of it. Waterfalls poured into the pool, and torches lined the stage. A few more of the fish people tested out fishbone guitars and drum sets, running about the place. Spirit recognized one of them as the man he saw before passing out, and the singer as the lady from earlier. As they finished a song, they received applause from the people surrounding them, and Marie whispered into his cat ear "This is a band of Zoras called the Indigogos... two of them found us and carried us to the rooms they stay at. Soon they'll be on tour, and agreed to take us to the main land... this stage is somewhere on the ocean..."  
He gulped, knowing he couldn't swim, as she patted his head "But that's ok, I'll be here so you'll never drown"   
The band then exited the stage, the two from before walking over to Marie and Spirit.  
"Good to see you two are feeling better." the woman said. "By the way, my name's Lulu, and this is Mikau."  
"I'm Marie, and this is Spirit, but I call him my cute little kitty"  
Spirit blushed slightly, Lulu giggling a bit.  
"I guess you two must care about eachother."   
"We do. We love each other, but we're also best friends." Spirit said, causing Marie to hug him tightly.  
"Well, we're heading off to shore for a performance, and you're both welcome to join before you head off."Mikau explained.  
"Yeah, I'd like to see more of this world" Marie turned to Spirit "We must be here for a reason, right?"  
He nodded slightly, scratching his chin in thought "It's worth a check, I guess..."  
"By sea, our boat should reach another continent called Hyrule by nightfall, so we must leave now..." Lulu said, leading the two off. She opened a door, revealing the vast ocean once again, Marie gazing on in awe. Her eyes seemed transfixed on the waves, rhythmically rocking as Lulu tilted her head. She soon noticed and forced a smile.  
"It's an erm... elemental thing..." she said with a goofy grin "We're not from around here..."  
She nodded "I can tell, I have never seen a race with fur... or such clothes..."

Meanwhile, Zeetan's latest puppet was leading his dark master through a temple, all the way up to a series of golden triangles.  
"The Triforce! So this is the power of the goddesses!"  
Vaati walked up to them, looking as if he was fighting off Zeetan's power for that moment. Zeetan tried recalling his servant, but it was too late, Vaati reached out and grabbed the top triangle, its power fusing into his body. The remaining ones disappeared and the mage turned around, control mark gone from his being.  
"Very crafty... I underestimated you." Zeetan said, an odd sense of pleasure about him.  
"I've had enough of people trying to control me! That fool Gannon thought he could do the same, and he was defeated."   
The dark one laughed, then moved closer to Vaati "If I can't control you, then how about a partnership?"  
"What could you bring me that I couldn't get myself?" Vaati replied sarcastically.  
"How about the removal of your curse?"  
Vaati paused.  
"I know well that you attempted to remake the world using a magical hat, and that your defeat caused its power to rebound upon you, trapping your being to the form of a wind demon. Your current body takes much power for you to maintain, and I can give you the power to do so for eternity."  
He pondered this for a moment, then reluctantly said "You have a deal..."

Meanwhile, Marie and Spirit had started their voyage to sea with the Indigogos, as the last bit of land faded from sight. The Klonian cradled her orb, taking in the salty scent of the ocean, and the delightful sea breeze upon her fur. Spirit stood by her, holding her hand as they both smiled at the sight. The sun remained high in the sky, but soon that changed as a dark cloud loomed overhead. The waves rocked the boat violently, Marie staring transfixed at the sudden storm. Spirit tugged her arm, causing her to snap back to reality, saying "We should go into the lower cabins, it looks like the weather's getting rough!"  
"A storm..." she said in some trance.  
"?"  
"Can't you feel it?" she turned to Spirit "a terrible storm... one caused by darkness..."  
"Zeetan?"  
She nodded "He is here, on this world..."  
"Wherever he is, we'll stop him."  
He then held Marie tightly, trying to ease her mind and he lead her down to the cabins.  
"Hey, Spirit... What... Do you think we should name our child?" She asked, blushing slightly.  
"If it's a girl, we could name her Tsuki. In old Zarconian, it means beauty."  
"And if it's a boy, we could name him Runoa, after my brother."  
They both smiled at one another, and it wasn't long before they fell asleep in each other's arms, both holding the precious orb that would one day be their child. The boat continued rocking greatly, but soon the storm died down, and it came to a calm. It delayed the voyage's progress slightly.  
Marie woke up to see Spirit still holding onto her and nuzzled her head against his vest with a smile, to gently wake him. He blinked slightly, wiping away the sleep from his eyes with pleasant yawn and smile. The door suddenly opened, Lulu coming in saying "We have hit shore!"  
They both nodded, getting up out of the bed and following her outside the cabin. They stepped outside to see a Hylian port and walked onto a dock, as Lulu pointed to a massive drawbridge.  
"Once you make it through those gates you should find yourself in the fields of Hyrule! If you head west, you should make it to Hyrule, a great castle, but be careful if you travel by night."  
"Oh?" Marie's ears perked at the warning.  
"Undead creatures prey on the living by night, but if you two can fight well, then you needn't worry..."  
"We'll keep that in mind" Spirit said, taking Marie's hand "when we stick together, no one can take us down!"  
She chuckled, patting him "A brave lil one you are!"  
"Oh, there's much more to us than it seems" Marie said with a giggle "But we must be off now!"  
They both headed out toward the fields, fighting all manner of spinning flower monsters and lantern holding ghosts. Sunset was soon upon them, causing the two to quicken their trek. As they reached the walled town, they looked in surprise as the drawbridge went up.  
"Great... We're locked out..." Marie said with a slight hint of sarcasm.  
"Um... That's not the worst of our problems..." Spirit said in a terrified voice. The young godess turned around, only to see a swarm of skeletal creatures behind them.  
"Those must be what Lulu was talking about!"  
"Looks like we'll have to make our stand right here!"  
"Or not..." Marie said, grabbing Spirit's arm, gesturing towards the river "Trust me on this one!"  
His face became pale and he reluctantly nodded, both of them running towards the river. Marie jumped in, Spirit being dragged in with her. They stayed submerged for only a moment, and the goddess pulled them both up to the surface, letting Spirit grab onto her shoulders.  
"Look!" she chuckled, pointing up "They can't swim!"  
"How'd you know?" Spirit asked, as she chuckled.  
"I just had a hunch!" she said, swimming towards the end of the canal where water poured out from a pipe. Spirit felt both himself and Marie being lifted out of the water by her own telekinesis into the pipe's rim. Bars went across it to keep out intruders, but thanks to their small size, both Spirit and Marie were able to fit between them.  
"Looks like nothing's getting us here..." Marie said "But we'll be wet all night..."  
She noticed Spirit shivering, and leaned next to him with a tight hug, letting the heat of both her body and the orb warm him. He purred happily as Marie petted him gently.  
"Just stay close to me... You'll be fine..." she said with a warm smile. Spirit soon fell asleep in her arms, still purring softly into her ear.  
"You may be a defender of the light, but you're still just like a little kitten" she said softly and kissed him on the cheek before falling asleep herself, their purrs both echoing through the pipes.


	12. Chapter 12

That night, Spirit and Marie shared yet another vision; two golden triangles hanging in the air, and the sky being covered by a vast emptiness. The face of a man appeared; dark green skin, flame red hair, and a jewel on his forehead. As his maniacal laughter pierced the night, villages burned, and monsters rampaged across the land. Marie found herself waking up first with a gasp out of the dream, then sighing "Only a nightmare..."  
Her breathing quickened from fright until she looked to her side, Spirit still sound asleep, causing a smile of relief to spread across her face. Beyond the culvert bars were endless fields, the sun poking over the horizon. The undead beings that loitered about outside took notice to this, burying themselves under the ground. Spirit still didn't wake, so she waited, preserving the relaxed moment of joy until he awoke with a sneeze; apparently ill from the dampness.

"Spirit, are you okay?"

"I'm fine... Just glad this wasn't a sewer pipe." he answered, chuckling slightly.

"Umm... Did you... Have an odd dream last night?"

"You too?"

She nodded "There's another evil force at work besides Zeetan."

Spirit looked at Marie, smiling "Well, whatever it is, we'll defeat it together!"

She spontaneously glomped him, forgetting Spirit was sitting right by the entrance. They both came tumbling out of the pipe, splashing into the river. She grabbed onto Spirit's arm, pulling him to the bank where he coughed up some water and scratched the back of her head, forcing a shy smile. It caused Spirit to chuckle.  
"Sorry" she said, cheeks turning pink.  
"It's okay!"  
A wide smile came across her face, but she then noticed Spirit shivering.  
"Oh, you're sick!" Marie said, placing a hand to his forehead. It felt slightly warm, and she went searching through her pockets, taking out a small vial "I always carry healing waters from the Blue Haven...It won't exactly cure you, but it'll give you some strength!"  
He smiled "That's okay, it's just a little cold, that's all!"  
She handed him the vial "Yeah, but it's best that you take it..."

He drank the mystic water and small amount of his strength returned almost instantly, upon which he stood up.

"Didn't I tell ya?" Marie said. She stood as well, taking Spirit's hand as they crossed the drawbridge into the city. They found themselves in a bustling marketplace, filled with all manner of carefree people. They seemed human, but their pointed ears set them apart.

"Whatever this new evil is, it doesn't look like we'll find it in a joyful place like this." Marie said. She then looked to Spirit, and noticed his eyes were shut "Is something wrong?"

His ears twitched. "I'm picking up something... It doesn't seem like it's dark, but it's still very powerful."

"Hum..." she closed her eyes as well "I sense it, but I just can't place my paw on it... it seems close... and almost... good?"

She turned around, and noticed a blonde man in a green tunic and matching pointing hat. They both pointed in unison "Him..."  
"He doesn't dress like all the rest..." she took notice to his features, especially his blade. It had the symbol of three triangles, and a matching symbol on his hand, as she uttered "Triforce..."

"Umm... Can I help you?" the stranger finally said.

"That symbol, how did you get that!"

"I don't know if I should tell you... I've never seen anything like either of you before..."

Spirit walked up, confused about what was going on "We're new here."

The man smiled, looking at the two of them "Well, you both have honest faces. My name's Link."

"I'm Marie, and this is Spirit."

Link then stretched out his hand, showing the mark to Marie "It's called the Triforce of Courage. It suddenly reappeared on me just yesterday."

"It's definitely powerful, but I felt something different; almost elemental."

"Elemental..."  
"Like the same thing I sense from Klonoa's ring... wind" she looked toward the sky with a concerned face, pointing "There!"  
The same dark cloud from before loomed in the distance, making a funnel; a tornado. Marie stared transfixed, in some trance, and Spirit couldn't make her snap out of it for a few moments.  
"Marie!" he shook her shoulder "We have to run, it's heading our way!"  
The winds began to pick up, and Marie's eyes changed slightly, looking back towards Spirit.  
"Sorry" she said, staring again "An elemental... I was trying to connect with it, unfortunately, it's a very evil force... we can't run from it..."  
"Then what do we do?" Link asked, as the two prepared their weapons.  
"We fight it!"

The tornado touched down, then dispersed; revealing Zeetan's latest aquisition.

"Well, well, well... New Hyrule marketplace..."

"What! Vaati was released from the Four Sword!" Link exclaimed. Spirit and Marie turned to him "He's a wind mage who has lived for over one hundred years!"

"That I am, and I've been realeased by someone you two know very well."

Spirit ears perked "So, you've sided with Zeetan..." he said.

"His orders are to destroy you both, which I shall do with great pleasure!"

"Let me deal with him!" Marie said, turning to Spirit with a certain look on her face, a look of determination, leaving him slightly confused. She handed him the orb, whispering "he's an elemental, I already assessed a lot of his power, we're pretty evenly matched so I should be able to handle myself..."  
He nodded, understanding, lying trust in her. She turned to Zeetan, raising an arm and clenching her fist, water shrouding her body. He stared on, the same look on his face, wind funneling around him, as their eyes locked onto one another.  
"This'll be interesting" he broke the silence with a smirk "a showdown of wind and water, who shall come out victorious?"

Marie shot a massive stream of water at the mage, only stunning him slightly. He slowly tilted his head towards the determined goddess with a smirk.

"Time to show you some of my true power."

With those words, his body faded to pure darkness, taking the form of something not of this earth; a spherical creature, with one gigantic red eye, and many bat-like wings keeping its black body suspended. Before Marie could think, the creature caught her in a powerful vortex. Spirit watched in horror as his love was tossed about in the raging winds. Just then, the Gaia Ultima appeared in his hand, shifting into a new form. The blades positioned themselves into a windmill-like form, and began spinning rappidly. A tornado of light appeared out of it, and Spirit knew what to do. He tossed the tornado at Vaati, canceling out his own, and freeing Marie.

"Thanks..." she mouthed, leaping back into battle. The two clashed, blows of wind and water impacted onto eachother, and as strong as they seemed, both sides remained uneffected. Spirit noticed that what Marie said was true; both powers were equally strong. Once again Vaati assumed his original form, and Marie tried to land a punch. Shrouding her fist in charged energy, she swung at him with great speed but he caught her wrist. She pushed against him, struggling to get free in the quickest time possible, but then he raised his other hand, shrouded in darkness and let out a blast onto her chest. Her eyes dilated in immense pain and her body fell limp. He still held onto her body, and then glared at Spirit until a voice lingered throughout the battle field.  
"Take her back to me..."  
"What?"

"The goddess!"  
Spirit's eyes dialated in shock and he leapt at Vaati, but his body faded away into the darkness, leaving the two heroes alone. Looking down at the orb in his arms, Spirit's eyes started to water, and he clenched his fist, pounding it upon the hard ground.

"No... I couldn't save you..."

"I have an idea as to where he may have taken her, but it's been lost for years." Link said. Spirit turned his head slightly, eyes wet from sorrow.

"Old Hyrule, but it's been lost under the sea for ages. The only ones capable of unsealing it are the goddesses of Hyrule."

Spirit shook his head. "If that's what it takes to get Marie back, I'm going to do it." he started to run off, but Link caught him by the arm.

"Lemme go!"

"What you want to do is impossible! The goddesses left this world eons ago!"

He shook his head "No, I know a bit more about goddesses than you think!"  
"Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?" Link could tell that Spirit was in some denial due to panic "There may be someone who knows a bit... the bearer of the triforce of wisdom, princess Zelda..."  
He turned towards the castle "She's not so far off either, in that castle there, but it's well guarded so we may have to do some sneaking!" he added "If we're caught, we may go to jail..."  
Spirit nodded "Anything for her!"  
Meanwhile, back in the lair of Vaati, Marie just fought off unconsciousness, looking up dully. Her vision blurred, but the voices around her sounded all too familiar.  
"At last, I have you" she heard "your energy is mine! But first..." she felt a hand on her forehead "Let's see if you'll join me!"  
She felt the darkness fill her mind, hearing a rhythmic chant "Join the darkness, give in..." over and over, but somehow, she resisted, a light emitting from her body that repelled his hand.  
"Her heart's pure!" he said in an agitated tone "How useless, I could never control her... but..."  
She felt a pain overcome her body "I can steal every last drop of your energy, and use it to destroy that pesky Gaia, once and for all!"  
Everything began to spin before her, melding into when chaotic mess. Her head pounded, and she collapsed, her body falling against the cool, stone floor. Meanwhile, Spirit approached the grande castle of Hyrule.

"Is this it!"

"Yeah, Hyrule castle... I'm an old friend of Zelda, but her guards have been acting strange lately." Link explained.

"Hmm... Maybe the darkness has even reached this world..." Spirit thought to himself. They both spotted a lone guard, clad in full, red body armor.

"That's not one of the usual guards! That's a Darknut!"

Spirit gave a puzzled look.

"They're enchanted suits of armor, a calling card of an old friend of mine..."

"Vaati?"

"No, someone much worse..."

Suddenly before it could even attack a great bolt of lightning struck from the sky, obliterating the enemy. Before the two appeared a small, child-like being with crystal-colored skin. She floated down to them with a four-armed doll in her arms, smiling innocently. Link instantly recognized her.

"The queen of fairies..."  
"Link, Zelda is safe in the deepest sanctums of the castle, but you must hurry!"

He nodded, pointing Spirit toward the castle gates "You go inside, I'll catch up to you!"

Spirit rushed off as Link stared across at an advancing mob of Darknuts. The young Gaia was almost at the gates, but a mass of energy sent him flying backwards. His vision blurred for a moment, but he soon caught sight of someone; the man from his nightmare. He stood tall, dressed in a black robe, and holding a massive trident.

"Is this what the castle guard has been reduced to; a cat?" he said sarcastically. Not giving any more thought, he kicked Spirit aside, and blasted through the gates. The Gaia lay wounded, but still holding tightly to the precious orb; its safety meaning more to him than anything, the world around him becoming darker by the moment.

Back at Zeetan's lair at the bottom of the endless sea, Marie stared weakly, clinging onto consciousness. A hope still lingered in her heart, and Zeetan hated this feeling she had, trying to eliminate it through torture. He held a dark hand in front of her face, letting the energy flow around her, how it sapped her little strength but kept her from falling unconscious. She could only blankly stare on through the pain, vision blurring, until he snapped, and she felt a sharp blow to the head before blacking out completely.  
"Why?" he asked agitated, turning to the unconscious body as if expecting an answer "This hope in her heart! It must go away!"  
"There's no breaking her..." one of his cronies said "I have worked with her, her heart's just too simple, her emotions child-like, it's impossible to do so..."  
Meanwhile, Spirit felt the world returning to him, and found himself within the safety of the castle walls before Link and a mysterious girl with long blonde hair, elegantly dressed in pink.  
"Link?" he uttered, trying to rise. He felt a sharp pain in his heart, a pain that doesn't come from injury, but an intuition "Marie..."  
He rose to his feet, but then hunched over, wincing from fresh wounds. He fell over, the lady catching him as he started to tear.  
"She's in great trouble..." he said, a hint of sorrow in his voice "and I'm too weak to help..."

"Hold still." The woman said, placing her hands above him. A blue energy started to pour into his body, returning some of his strength.

"Spirit, this is princess Zelda." Link said.

"We've known eachother since I was merely Tetra; the pirate captain." she said, a bit of humor in her voice "Anyway, I understand you seek the power of the Triforce."

"Yes..." Spirit said solemnly.

"Unfortunately, Vaati has control of the Triforce of power, and its energy is weak without all three."

"However, Zelda noticed a power within you; a uniting force. With it, you may be able to channel the energy of the Triforce pieces her and I posses"

"Enough power to possibly make a wish..."  
He tilted his head, a confused expression on his face "Wish?"  
"With all three pieces, one can have whatever they desire, but maybe the same can be done with just two, a simple wish..."  
They reached out toward him, the triforce symbols glowing. Two triangles appeared before him, and he laid his hand on each, closing his eyes. He seemed to know what must be done, an instinct as he spoke to the goddesses.  
"Farore, Nayru, hear my wish..." he said, Link never remembered telling him their names, but somehow Spirit knew "Please return to me the one I love, caught in all the evil, she needs guidance back to us..."

The symbols glowed in response, blinding the three. As the last bit of light faded away, Spirit felt something in his arms; the battered, drained body of the goddess. He held her closely, her injured state shocking him, but he managed to smile seeing she returned.


	13. Chapter 13

personal flagship; the Hellbringer!" Zeetan appeared out of the shadows, holding two small spheres "Existance... Such a triviality. With each of these jewels returns another fraction of my power, and all four equals the apocalypse!"

Spirit growled at the demon, remembering all that Marie had told him. "What do you mean!" The dark lord laughed, his eyes casting off an eerie glow in the darkness "The apocalypse is the destruction of existence! Every world, heaven and hell, will implode upon each other, canceling out time and space, and leaving only the darkness!"

Soon Marie woke up and searched for her love, walking outside the temple to where Spirit stood. Her eyes instantly widened at the sight of the dark lord, and his energy effected her breathing. Zeetan tilted his head towards her, approaching with great speed. She tried to flee, but soon Zeetan had her in his grip, holding her by the throat.  
"Now, now, goddess, did you think I was through with you?" he taunted. Marie thrashed and kicked against his grip, but found her body weakening, until a scythe plunged into his back, revealing Kiza. The pain was slight, only enough to draw his attention away from the goddess.  
"I'd say welcome back from the dead, but seeing how you turned on me..."  
"The goddess is _mine_ to torture! I can't believe you did all that to her without me!" she said in great agitation "_I am not your minion..._"

Marie crept away while Kiza distracted Zeetan, until he noticed and turned, ready to strike her with his scythe. She saw the blade come down at her, and closed her eyes to embrace the pain, but then heard a scraping sound of metal, Spirit standing in front of her with the ultima.

"Blasted Gaia! You're even more persistent than your father!"

Spirit smiled tauntingly "Maybe, but I'm not going to let you win! You may be stronger than me, but I have something you don't..." Just then, Spirit started glowing. In a flash of an instant, his six wings appeared; each shining brilliantly "What I have is Marie!"

Zeetan's eyes became like fire, burning from his anger "What is it that allows you to defy me!" The Gaia let out a short laugh "Simple."

He raised the Gaia Ultima, the blades surrounded by a blue aura.

"It's my heart!"

With those words, Spirit brought his sword down upon the demon, the blades slicing through his body. Zeetan stood in place, gasping as he let his scythe fall to the ground. Fissures of light erupted from where the sword struck, moving outwards like glass shattering.

"It's not possible..." he gasped "I'm stronger than you!"

His body then broke apart, the remains drifting into the shadows. Spirit then looked up at Kiza, standing between her and Marie. She watched on with a smirk.

"For being a friend of a foe, you're pretty good..." she winked at him, a habit she formed "I'll just have to get stronger so I can kill you one day!"  
She fazed into the shadows, leaving Spirit unsure if it was a compliment or a threat, but he didn't care. He turned to Marie and lifted her, saying "Let's go to a safer spot..."  
She nodded, ready to fall asleep as he carried her to an inn in town. Even if the temple was a haven from the evil, he felt that what she needed was a safe shelter to rest in.  
"Yes sir, that'll be 50 rupees..."  
"Fifty what?" Spirit looked to him in exhaustion, holding Marie "I have no money, please... she needs a safe place to rest..."  
"I don't take freeloaders!" he said, when suddenly someone sitting by in a chair laid some money upon the table, a familiar friend. Lulu took out a purple gem, and said "I'll pay for the room..."  
"Well, I guess it's yours" he handed Spirit a key, and he looked over to the zora with a smile.  
"Thanks, it means a lot that she's safe..." he said, carrying her up the stairs slowly, weakly. All the events brought a lot of stress on his body, and after he laid her on the bed, he climbed into it, laying her head upon his stomach gently before blacking out.

The next day, Spirit and Marie awoke pleasantly, but suddenly realizing that there were others in the room.

"Sephiroth, Samus, Kirby, Sora! How did you all get here!"

"Seph did all the work, we just came along." Samus answered.

"Well, you'll be happy to know that Spirit here destroyed Zeetan!" Marie said cheerfully.

"Don't be too sure... He was merely set back. Zeetan feeds from evil, and there is much evil to be had in the universe." Sephiroth explained "Either way, we shouldn't have to worry about him for a while."

"Well, it'll be a nice break!" Marie said between yawns, smiling gleefully "After all that we've been through lately, I could just use some down time... to be with friends... family" she looked towards Spirit on that last part "To catch up with Klonoa..."  
The Gaia nodded in agreement and Marie created a portal. By now everyone knew to jump through, and in no time everyone was back home and settled down.


	14. Chapter 14

Marie spent that afternoon in her bedroom, though she never slept in it she used it as her own personal space to pursue her greatest hobby; tinkering. Her brother stood by watching; a familiar sight, the small Klonian hunched over to her table, working away in hopes of accomplishing something.  
"So what are you doing now?" Klonoa asked catching Marie's attention. She brought up a handle; a hilt and said "I'm trying to create a new weapon for myself, one that'll help me fight off darkness more easily..."  
She looked down "I want to be able to fight as well, you know? To be on top of things, to get into the action..."  
Klonoa laid his hand upon the orb in her lap "But now you also have responsibility, don't forget..."  
"I know" she said with a cheerful smile, assembling the last pieces. She lifted the hilt, a blade materializing with her own energy, shimmering in the light.  
"I don't know what to call it..." she thought "But the blade concentrates my water energy and changes it to light energy..."  
"So it's a 'blade of light' " Klonoa suggested, getting an eager nod.  
"Yeah... the blade of light..."

Spirit trained with Sephiroth outdoors "The Gaia Ultima responds to your feelings. The greater your heart, the stronger the sword will become."

Spirit nodded understandingly.

"Also, the sword will adapt to any situation, obvious by its transforming capabilities." Sephiroth then drew his sword, the long blade shining like new "This is my sword, the Masamune. A true swordsman can wield a sword as an extension of their own body, and I'm going to show you how."

As he was ready to demonstrate, the call of Marie interrupted. She stood by the door with the orb and the sword hilt and said "Hey Spirit, I got a new invention!"  
Spirit diverted his attention to her with a smile, as she materialized the blade before him.  
"I made it special so I can fight the darkness... maybe I can train with you two? I haven't used a sword in awhile..." she scratched the back of her head, forcing a shy smile. Spirit looked to Sephiroph who gave a solemn nod.  
"If she's always going to be around you, we best teach her to defend herself a well..." he said, Marie eagerly walking up besides Spirit with her new creation, pocketing the orb.  
"But you must remember" Sephiroph continued "Marie, Spirit, you two must protect each other, look out for one another, if you two always work together, you'll get the greatest rewards in the end... now, to begin your training!"

A large, black wing appeared on Sephiroth's back. His outfit gained a red trim, and his sword began to give off a dark purple aura.

"The One Winged Angel... So that's why..." Spirit gazed on in awe.

"This form you see was born of darkness, but, as you can see, my heart is able to sustain that darkness. No power is inherently evil, though darkness remains to be the most unstable." Suddenly, he disappeared in a flash of light. Sephiroth reappeared in front of Spirit, sending him flying from a quick sword swipe.

"That's not fair, he wasn't ready!" Marie shouted.

"Do you think Zeetan will give you the chance to get ready?"

"I guess... not" as she pondered Amidst her thought he came at her as well with blinding speed. Closer and closer, but she soon took notice, her ears twitching in response to the sound of his clothes ruffling in the wind. She managed to use her wings to push her body backwards, holding up her sword to deflect his, using her free arm to materialize a shield. He grinned, backing up a bit, and appearing from her from behind, but found his test blow blocked by Spirit's Ultima.  
"It seems you got your first lessons down" he grinned slightly "You're both fast learners, it seems Marie's especially quick to reaction!"  
"Thanks" she said with a bow "It's all part of speed and instinct..."

"Don't count me out yet, though, I still have much left to teach." With that, he raised his hand to the air, and Spirit and Marie were sent flying back by a tower of flames "You must never let yourself go off-guard! If your enemy still stands, then they are still a threat!"

Marie caught Spirit in mid-air, drifting down and letting him stand back up.

"The strength you get from eachother is quite powerful, but the forces of evil will try to exploit that bond. Spirit, though I am your guardian, there will be times in which I won't be able to help you, and it is then that you must rely upon your own heart." Spirit looked puzzled, but remained on guard; remembering what happened the last few times "Heart is a uniting force... it amplifies the power of your own heart with others, creating an inner fire that can never be extinguished." Spirit smiled at this, as did Marie.

"The powers of light and heart lay within you, and only you can realize their full potential."

He nodded, helping Marie up to continue with the training that dragged on through the afternoon. The both of them ended up falling back from exhaustion, Sephiroph standing by, staring down at them, expecting them to continue.  
"L-let's take a break" Spirit said through the panting, sitting up. His lungs burned, muscles sore, he rubbed sweat from his forehead.  
"Oh? But we've only been training for 7 hours" Sephiroph said, Marie muttering "I don't feel so hyper anymore..."  
"Well, I guess you two did well for our first session, but they'll only get rougher from here on. In the meantime, you two earned yourself a break!"  
"Yay!" Marie threw her arms in the air, letting them fall back down like weights "I think I'mma go to bed now..."

Spirit agreed and quickly took Marie by the hand, leading her inside, taking her to his room. They both curled up on the bed, as usual, and Marie brought the orb out to hold it.

"I think it's getting bigger." Spirit said happily.

"I hope we can defeat Zeetan for good, I want our child to have a life free of darkness." he continued. Marie cuddled around him like a little kitten, looking up into his eyes.

"I know we can make that happen." she said, right before nodding off into a deep slumber. Spirit curled his tail around her like a blanket, then fell asleep himself. They both purred lightly, dreaming of a bright future, free from the evils of Zeetan. The next morning Marie woke up before Spirit, stroking the orb as she stared into it deeply, then gasped a moment. It woke up Spirit, giving her a confused look as she forced a smile.  
"The children inside are developing much faster than normal..."  
"Children?"  
"I have magic sight, I can see past the clouds in the orb... and I saw twins..." she said, scratching the back of her head "What would take a season of energy absorption only took about 10 days... I don't know why..."

"Well, we'll be prepared for when they arrive..." Spirit said with a smile, stroking the glassy exterior. It seemed to glow brighter in response, and he tried to see past the clouds like Marie did.  
"I wish I could see them as well..."

At that moment, they both heard someone burst through the front door. They looked out, only to see Samus, a sense of fear about her "It's them! The space pirates are here!"

"Huh?" Spirit and Marie said in unison.

"Off the coast, Ridley's flagship, Chozodia, just landed."

Spirit nodded "We'll come along, there's no telling if they're sided with Zeetan."

Samus shook her head. "They're far too dangerous! The space pirates have all manner of genetically enhanced creatures at their disposal!"

"Samus, we're going! What concerns a friend concerns us!" Marie boldly stated. The bounty hunter gave a reluctant sigh, then turned to them.

"I should know better than to try and stop you two."

"Don't worry" Spirit said "nothing could be more intense than Seph's training!"  
"You haven't fought a space pirate yet" Samus said, leading the way to the familiar lookout spot Spirit and Marie would spend many nights at. Hovering by the cliff was a strange space ship, and the three ducked behind a few bushes, wanting the element of surprise.  
"So what do we do now?" Marie whispered quietly, kitten nose poking slightly through the leaves.

She suddenly noticed something standing in front of her. It was a lobster-looking creature that stood on two legs, with a pair of beady yellow eyes. All manner of weapons were fused onto its body, including guns on the sides of its claws.

"Intruders located!" it said, charging its lazers. Suddenly, it was blasted away by a mass of concentrated energy. Samus stood with her arm cannon extended, the tip steaming "That's one down, but more are on the way!" She then quickly turned around, pressing a button on the side of her visor "Not good! My Echo Visor is picking up multiple space pirates headed our way!"

Soon they found themselves surrounded, fighting off the hoards. Marie used her new sword to slash through the bionic parts, Spirit doing the same with his ultima and Samus blasting through crowds using her ammunition. But what they did wasn't enough, more and more surrounded them, the fight dragging on until the three warriors were nearly exhausted. Marie forced herself to fight at this point, every muscle sore, every move hurt herself as much as it did the monsters, until a sudden darkness surrounded them on the ground. The darkness consumed the three warriors, and Marie saw Spirit reaching out to her before all vision faded.


	15. Chapter 15

Sometime later, Marie woke up in a familiar land, the Blue Haven; an inner realm of her imagination. She rubbed her head, seeing Samus and Spirit, still asleep from whatever struck them. Before her stood Luce, sitting on the edge of a cliff, staring out at the setting sun.  
"So you saved us...?" Marie assumed, sitting down by her darker half. She nodded, staring solemnly out with grey, sorrowful eyes.  
"I can't have you perish, or the Gaia... soon Zeetan will return, and I will fall into his power once again..." she said, pointing to the mark on her head "I can only resist it for so long... heh, you're so lucky, with a pure heart like yours, you can keep your free will... as for me... there's no place for me in the universe... I should have stayed in your heart..."

"Don't speak like that..." Marie said calmly, as the other warriors shook off the last bit of sleep from their mind "There's a place for everyone... you just have to find it..."

Spirit stood behind them and gazed on in confusion, but decided not to interupt.

"I guess..." Luce frowned "I can only hold onto hope, that Zeetan will be defeated... until then..."

Her symbol started to glow as tears streamed down her face, and she turned to her mirror image "It's happening..." she said in a sorrowful voice, rising to her feet. She materialized a lance of darkness, and looked to the goddess. She felt a little hesitant to leave her darker half, but then Luce yelled "GO! I won't be able to control myself soon, and when that happens, I may hurt you!"  
Marie sidestepped just in time to miss the lance aimed at her chest, and frowned to see Luce this way. But she knew nothing could be done. Clasping her hands together, a light surrounding Marie and her party as they disappeared. Spirit found the light fading away, replaced by the home residence. Marie ran inside suddenly, to her room. Spirit followed her, she seemed to be in a rush.  
"I can't believe he returned to quickly" she said, digging through her stuff, pulling out a shirt.  
"What's that?" he asked, seeing how its colors matched her shirt and pants. Throwing off her vest, she put on the loose garment.  
"Never thought I'd need this..." she looked to Spirit "Its threads are infused with light energy... I want to be prepared... since Zeetan's last attack, I've been a little scared of the darkness... so..." she spread out her arms "How do I look?"

Spirit smiled at her. "Like the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

Marie blushed, then tackled him in a hug "You're so sweet"

She then walked back over and pulled out some more clothing "And don't think I've forgotten about you." She tied a long, red scarf around his neck, and an indigo ribbon in his hair. "I didn't think it was possible, but you look even cuter than before!" Spirit's face reddened, but he managed to turn to Marie.

"I wish I could have given you something..."

She giggled and pointed to the jewel on her necklace. "You've given me this, and so much more."

"Yeah..." he smiled in glee, but then asked her "Now... where to next...?"

Marie looked out the door and noticed her brother "How about Lunatea again? I think Klonoa would like to revisit some places in his past along with Lolo..."  
He nodded and she walked out the door.  
"Hey Klo, we're heading to Lunatea, wanna join us?" she asked as he gave her a sudden brotherly hug. She giggled as Lolo came by, smiling, Popka following.  
"I'd love to return home..." Lolo softly said, leaping up into the air. In a glow, she became a small, white entity, floating towards Klonoa's ring. Spirit gazed in awe at the holy power of the priestess, but then noticed Marie opening a portal and hopped in. They appeared on the other side on a suspended path before a massive, angelic statue a goddess, holding a sphere in her hands.

"This is La-Lakoosha, and that's the statue of Claire." Marie explained.

"She was said to be the greatest priestess of all, and thought to be a goddess as well..." Lolo continued. Spirit was entranced by the simplistic beauty of the area, taking in a breath of the fresh air.

"Wouldja quit gawkin' ya idiot and keep movin'!" Popka said harshly. Marie suddenly gave him a hard hit on the head, looking ticked off.

"Don't talk to him like that!"

Popka rubbed his scalp, a large lump forming on it "No need ta get rough! Ain't my fault he's a slow..."

Marie cut him off with another blow.

"Yeesh! Ya try ta help a guy!"

She contently smiled and took Spirit's hand, leading him to a break in the path. Leaves rapidly shot up, as she jumped, taking her with him. A warm air from below propelled both bodies high up, and to the end of the path, Klonoa and Popka doing the same.  
"Isn't that fun?" she asked "I wasn't even flying there..."  
"I guess..." his breathing quickened "Just a little scared of heights, you know?"  
She nodded, leading him to a cave, when suddenly, a rumble caused the party to trip, the ground shaking.  
"Earthquakes?" Klonoa looked around, a distorted voice from his ring said "The chaos! It's come back somehow..."  
"Then that means..." he looked to the cave, remembering what happened the last time. Marie looked to him in worry.  
"The winds stop flowing, and for outsiders and priestesses, the air inside becomes thick, it seems..." he lead them in, hunching over as he took in deep breaths. Marie and Spirit could feel it as well, their lungs feeling crushed.  
"Hurry, Spirit" she said, pulling him over to a glowing statue "We have to stay close to these, or else we'll suffocate..."

"It's still hard to breath..." he took in deep and steady breaths, as Marie comforted him "As long as we follow Klo, we should be safe..."

Her surrogate brother nodded and led the way to all the statues, knowing their locations by heart. Marie stayed close to Spirit, helping to calm his breathing. They soon reached the exit, but looked in horror at the landscape. The water was dyed a dark purple, and all the plants had wilted.

"This is impossible, the Kingdom of Sorrow was rebuilt!" Klonoa exclaimed.

"It wasn't sorrow, it was Zeetan..." Marie said in a serious tone of voice.

"How right you are!" the demon's voice rang out. He appeared in front of them, three materia floating in his ghostly hand. "Ridley was kind enough to give me the third materia that his forces dug up from the ocean floor. One more, and it's doom for this pathetic idea called existance!" "Move it or loose it ya weirdo!" Popka shouted.

"Shut up, you insignificant speck of a being!" he yelled, striking the glass-eyed creature with his scythe. The blow caused his body to collide with the mountain wall, and fall into a heap on the ground.  
"Popka!" Lolo hopped out of Klonoa's ring and ran over to him, kneeling by her fallen friend. He looked up weakly with a smile, saying "I'm alright, go help Klonoa!"  
"No" she shook her head "Klonoa can handle himself for now, you're badly injured, and I'm not leaving a friend!"  
Marie looked to Spirit, and made a slight gesture. He nodded and materialized the Ultima. She rushed over to the priestess, Klonoa coming up by Spirit, ready to assist in battle. Marie held her hands above Popka, suffering from internal injuries, his breathing forced until a healing aura surrounded him, enough to soothe him of his pains.

"Don't think I won't repay you for that blow you dealt me in Hyrule!" Zeetan exclaimed "However, I'll allow my latest minion to take you both out."

Spirit looked at him with anger, yet wondering who this new lackey was.

"Certainly, my master..." a sinister voice hissed. A dark portal then appeared on the ground, as a mysterious figure rose up. He was apparently feline, with a long, purple trench coat and two pairs of long, scarlet razor-sharp claws.

"It can't be!" Klonoa said in disbelief.

"I found him laying in a crater on the moon... I assume you two know each other..." Zeetan explained.

"It's been a long time, Klonoa!"

"Janga..." Marie said, rushing up by Spirit at a blinding speed "Careful, his claws have a very deadly poison!"  
Klonoa brought out his wind saber, Marie materialized her new weapon, and Spirit stood by her with the Ultima. They surrounded him, the three sword-bearing warriors in stance, as he cackled.  
"Three against one seems rather unfair" he said, an aura surrounding him "Let me even the odds a bit!"  
Suddenly, his form shifted, becoming multiple images. Before them two copies appeared, mirror images to Janga.  
"Get ready..." Marie said, a moment of silence passing, broken by all three advancing at their foes. Marie used techniques from training, back-flapping her wings to give her the slightest distance, all so she could dodge the claws and counter. Spirit sidestepping, whenever knocked down he rebounded with great speed. Klonoa knew his enemy well, and his tactics, almost able to predict his patterns of attacking. Soon, the three Jangas seemed tired, almost defeated, all cornered toward each other, but his form shifted once again, creating another 3 copies of himself.  
"Darn, six of them?" Spirit said, feeling slightly weary from battle.  
"Don't worry" Marie said to him "As long as they all don't concentrate on one of us, we can take them down!"

"You can kill the Cryssnan boy, but leave the Gaia and the goddess to me!"

All the Jangas nodded, evil smiles coming across their faces. Suddenly, a gun shot sounded, and one of the Janga copies fell and disappeared.

"You're slippin' kid!" a gruff voice said. A hovering vehicle soon came roaring down the mountain side, the rider holding out a gun. He then quickly hopped off the machine, letting it run into another of the Janga copies.

"Guntz!" Klonoa and Lolo exclaimed at once.

"It seems punks like you don't stay dead these days." he said, facing the cloned cat.

"We owe you one!" Klonoa said happily.

"Yeah, but we'll talk about that later!"

"Grr..." he growled, all four Jangas glaring at Guntz "You haven't seen my true power yet!"  
"True... power?" Marie thought, then suddenly gasped. A great darkness surrounded him, causing the original Janga to grow massively in size, like a giant. His eyes became yellow and glowed, his body dark like the heartless, he resembled nothing like his original form. Spirit's ears pressed flat against his head as he backed away slightly, Guntz clenching his fist.  
"This may be a challenge!" he said, raising up a rocket launcher "Time to use the heavy artillery!"  
He launched a missile towards him, but it was absorbed in the darkness, the explosion not fazing the monster one bit. It brought its fist out, trying to hit Guntz, but Marie jumped in the way, pushing him out of enemy reach.

As he fell backwards, he shook his head, saying "What was that for?" but then noticed Marie pinned under his hand, the darkness consuming her body.  
"Marie!" Guntz yelled, firing the hand. Spirit raised the Ultima, plunging the sword into its fist, as the darkness faded away, the creature moaning in pain. He raised his hand and scowled, and Spirit let out a sigh of relief, until he noticed Marie disappeared without a trace.


	16. Chapter 16

The dark Janga then vanished, along with Zeetan, leaving the warriors alone.

"Marie!" Spirit shouted, his voice echoing through the distance. Meanwhile, Marie reappeared in the holds of Zeetan's ship, the shadow lord standing before her.

"We have to stop meeting like this." he sneered at her, as she huddled in the corner, trying to work up what little shred of courage she had left.

"Well, the godess returns." a familiar voice said.

"Ansem!" Marie found a new burning rage and shouted as the dark sage appeared from the shadows.

"Lord Zeetan has given me power the likes of which I've never had before!"

Zeetan cackled, his eyes flaring up.

"You're wasting your time! You can't control me, and Spirit's probably on his way here to rescue me!" Marie said confidently, yet cautiously backed away.

"That pathetic boy can't stop me, and neither could his father!"

Marie's expression turned to shock and horror, as another figure appeared from the shadows. He looked like a Zarconian, but had wings like those in Spirit's Gaian form.

"Gaze upon this! This sorry being was once Artross: The Gaia of Heart! After our battle, his spirit was weakened, so I took what was left of my power and placed him under my control!" Marie started crying, thinking of how Spirit would react.

"Accept the fate of this world and submit to my power!"

She brushed away the tears "No, I still have hope! Someway, somehow this'll all be stopped..."  
"You're in denial!" he said, appearing by her, taunting her. She looked up with a growl, extending claws as she swiped at him, scratching his robe. He didn't move a bit, instead, laying a head upon her forehead, draining her of energy. Her body weakened by the moment, her limbs becoming noodle like, yet her heart and soul remained very strong.  
"Even if you're uncontrollable, there's still a use for you, my energy sponge!"  
The world quickly faded before her, and she fell comatose, being left in a dark prison of Zeetan's design. He threw her in a cell, her body laying among the cold ground. Her limbs twitched and quivered, yet she couldn't budge. Marie could hear his voice in the back of her mind, tormenting her, no peace even in unconsciousness, yet she endured it all. She awoke some time later, Zeetan and his minions already gone. She was now in a cage, guarded by two devilish Heartless wielding jagged swords. She reached into her pocket, glad to see the orb was okay.

"I hope you two never have to go through this..." Marie whispered. She held it tightly, crying as she thought of what could happen. At that moment, the heartless disintegrated from a beam of blinding white light. Lumina then appeared, breaking the cage open as Marie weakly rose to her feet and ran up to her.

"You saved me!" she said, embracing the kind, motherly Gaia. Lumina smiled softly "I couldn't let anything happen to my future daughter in-law."

She then paused, looking into Marie's innocent, blue eyes "Spirit is too far off, so I had to do something. He would have saved you if he could."

Marie nodded happily. "I know he would!"

She then felt her strength leave her, collapsing into the Gaia's arms. Lumina cradled her gently, saying "Don't worry, I'll bring you somewhere safer, away from the darkness..."  
"It'll help me heal a little more easily... but what of Spirit?"  
She smiled "As soon as you get better, you can return to him... for now, rest little one, you're safe..."  
Lumina disappeared within a portal of light, goddess in arms, returning back at her haven. It felt oddly comfortable, jarring out loose memories of Ranoke, when Marie was but a young Cryssling. She yawned, slowly falling asleep, waking up hours later, orb in folded arms as she felt somewhat different, then looked up and gasped.  
"Wh-what's this?" she said, reaching up for the silvery ring that floated above her, but it fazed through her hand like an illusion. Lumina walked over with a chuckle.  
"It's a halo, you mostly see them on angels, but I gave you one since it helps build up an immunity towards darkness." she explained "It concerns me that Zeetan targets you so much, not only draining you of energy and tormenting you with darkness... I could sense your great fear you have in his power..."  
Marie frowned slightly, but then smiled.  
"It's ok, I deal with it, it doesn't matter what happens to me, I only care for the safety of friends, my future children and soul mate..."

Lumina smiled and nodded. "But they, in turn, care for you. I know Spirit does."

Marie suddenly started panicking "Oh no! Spirit's probably worried sick about me!"

"Then hurry off to him..." she said "Who knows? Maybe you were only gone for minutes, dimension traveling does distort time after all..."

She nodded and quickly created a portal, bowing to Lumina before hopping through. Lumina's assumption proved true, back at the sight of the fight, Spirit stared solemnly at the ground, and a tear dropped. Without hesitation, Marie ran over and glomped him out of joy, catching him off guard as he fell back into a patch of grass.

"You're safe!" Spirit happily said. He spotted the halo hovering above her head "I always knew you were an angel in disguise!"

Marie giggled a bit at this. "It's just a gift from your mom. It's supposed to help build an immunity to the darkness."

He hugged her tightly "Naw, I bet it was there all along!"  
She smiled in happiness, her wings outstretched as she gave him a kiss, making him turn a little pink. Klonoa walked up to her, poking the halo, his hand phasing through it. He grinned "Kinda neat... so I guess Claire Moa was some kind of angel too?"  
Spirit nodded "They're human like with beautiful, white wings and a halo... it is said that they live in heaven as souls of those who lived life as a good person..."  
"Ah..." he nodded "I see... I never saw one before..."  
"But it can also be used to as an expression for someone you care for..." he stared into Marie's eyes, causing her to giggle once again "Like Marie" his eyes tearing slightly in the overwhelming joy "you are my angel!"

Marie blushed a bit, but then turned to a more serious look. "I have to tell you... Ansem is now with Zeetan..." Spirit unexpectedly smiled. "It doesn't matter. I won't let anyone take you away again."

Marie smiled and cuddled him, letting her head rest on his shoulder. Spirit started singing a song lightly into her ear, soon lulling the goddess to sleep. She held him tightly, even while dreaming; still seeking to be close to the one she loved.

"Awwww" Lolo finally said, unable to contain herself. She then looked to Klonoa, a smile on her face. He turned away, blushing slightly. He looked on with mixed emotions and scarlet cheeks, Lolo caught him off-guard, wrapping her arms around him. His eyes widened, he could only remember the last time they hugged was when he had to leave her. This hug seemed random and sudden at first, but then he managed to return the warm embrace, as Spirit carried Marie over gently. They both noticed and abruptly let go of each other, each with pink on their cheeks.  
"A-anyways the temple should be up ahead" Klonoa said "We can rest there, seeing how Popka is injured and Marie is asleep!"  
Lolo nodded, gently lifting Popka into her arms, and jumping into the ring. Klonoa lifted it up, and said "Why don't you join her? There's plenty of room!"  
"Eh?" he tilted his head "Why would I need to do that?"  
"Well, these paths go high up, and require a lot of jumping across bottomless pits of doom... I figured it'd be hard for you since you're carrying my sister..."

"Ah, I see..." he looked down to her, gently purring in her sleep. He didn't want to put her in any danger, and decided to trust Klonoa with their safety. He nodded, and Klonoa held up his ring, Spirit leaping at it and becoming one with the jewel in a great shine. When the light faded away, he found himself staring at Lolo in a pure, white plane. She was on her knees, eyes closed. Spirit stared on curiously, until the sudden voice of Popka interrupted his thoughts.  
"She's prayin' ta Claire" he said "If she doesn't, then Klonoa's ring ain't gonna work at all..."

Spirit nodded silently, returning his attention back to Marie. She slept in his arms like a carefree child, causing him to shed a slight tear. Spirit curled his tail around her, as usual, the small goddess seemingly comforted by this. She soon let out a soft yawn, her eyes slowly opening. "Your tail's nice and fluffy."

She started to bat at his tail playfully, Spirit wagging it back and forth. Marie was quite content with this, her playful nature making her seem like a kitten with a piece of string. Spirit couldn't help but laugh, joyful that Marie hadn't changed in the least. She smiled gleefully as Klonoa made it down the path, jumping when needed from platform to platform. Occasionally he shot a wind bullet from his ring, nabbing a small, red creature called a moo to perform his double jumps. About an hour later, he came to a huge pendulum, throwing Moos at it to knock down stone columns and he approached the beautiful temple. The passengers jumped out of his ring one by one, entering inside. They found themselves in a grande room, leading to a chair where a fair lady sat, staring out with solemn, red eyes.  
"I see you have returned from Cryssna, Lolo..." her voice had a subtle hint of sorrow, yet no one could sense it. It felt lulling, calm, and Spirit found his mind drifting. Lolo nodded, speaking up.  
"Yes, high priestess..." she bowed "I got sick in Cryssna, but thanks to my friends I was able to pull through..."  
The priestess made a small smile "That's good, we don't want any of our priestesses dying..."  
She nodded "But on our way here, we came across Janga... Guntz helped tipped the scales in our favor..."  
As she said that he gave a satisfied smirk, but then Marie suddenly spoke up.  
"I doubt that's the last time we'll be dealing with him... he's with Zeetan now... a ruthless minion until he can be stopped!"  
"Tell me more about this 'Zeetan' please..." the high priestess said, as Marie continued.  
"He's cunning, dark and heartless... the very source of evil itself... he recruits minions, some of them against their will..." she remembered seeing Spirit's father and frowned, her ears drooping. She didn't want to tell Spirit just yet, but knew it was best.  
"For now, the battle has worn us out, and we can use a safe place to rest..." Spirit said, the priestess nodding.  
"Lolo, please guide our guests to the inner sanctums..."  
"Yes, Mam!" she said, turning around. The walk wasn't long, the group followed her down the halls, soon coming upon what seemed to be lounge rooms in the temple, made specifically for weary travelers.  
"We're running short on free rooms... so we'll have to share a few... Spirit and Marie can share a room... Klonoa, Popka and I will share a room, and Guntz gets his own..."  
They all nodded, heading to their determined quarters. That night Marie and Spirit sat together, looking down at the orb.


	17. Chapter 17

"It's amazing to think that we'll be parents soon." Marie said with a warm smile.

"Parents..." Spirit looked rather sorrowful "I know who my mother is... But... Who is my father?" Marie felt a cold chill run down through her nonexistent spine. He noticed this right away, turning to her.

"Is something wrong?"

Marie started crying, not knowing how to tell him the truth "Spirit... Your father is..." she paused for a moment, but suddenly burst out in tears. "It's Zeetan! He has him under a powerful mind controll spell!"

"Marie..." he started to gasp, his breathing quickened and his eyes became watery. She tried her best to comfort him, hugging him tightly and nuzzling her cheek against his vest with a frown.  
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner! I didn't want you to be hurt..." she looked up to him with sorrowful eyes "But I don't want to keep secrets from you..."  
"The truth is painful..." he brushed away a tear "But worth hearing... thanks, Marie..."  
He returned the embrace and she felt relieved, though he cried a bit, she kept on comforting him until he smiled like she did.  
"Don't worry, we'll free your father... Luce too..." she grinned, but then her expression changed. She suddenly moaned slightly, blacking out.  
"Wow, Zeetan must have roughed her up a bit..." he said, taking the orb and stroking it gently. He laid down upon the bed, laying her head upon his stomach. He looked out the window, seeing a silhouette float, another Klonian. His ears perked, but soon fell asleep, hearing the words of Luce.  
"I have planted the last materia... where it can never be retrieved..."

Meanwhile, Zeetan made preparations for a summoning ritual. Dark energy swirled about before him and green spectral lights began to take form.

"What are you summoning, my lord?" Ansem asked as he watched on with little interest.

"An evil from another time. A man who used the power of the deities to do his bidding!"

The lights and the dark energy soon merged, taking the form of a man with long, blue hair. He wore a black robe with some lavish decorations. He looked up, his face having a friendly look, but his eyes reflecting a great evil.

"Greetings... My name is Seymore Guado."

Zeetan deviously grinned "And you may know me as your lord and master."

Seymore seemed to take a great liking to this "I live only to serve you... Well... Maybe not live..."

As they talked Luce came in from the shadows, staring at Zeetan with glazed eyes.  
"I couldn't find the final materia..." she blankly said, blinking slightly.  
"Are you sure?" he quizzed his puppet "From the start you have been resisting me, struggling against my influence, when I turn my back to do other business, you find your will coming back..."  
He grabbed her by the throat and she struggled against his grip, thrashing her arms and legs "I'm getting tired of your insolence, Luce... I know you hid that final materia somewhere, tell me now!"  
She opened her eyes and huffed in his face with a snarl, causing him to squeeze tighter in agitation, before throwing her to the floor, unconscious.  
"The final materia can wait... I need to find away to kill that pesky Gaia... no, to kill all the Gaias... then, the godess will be mine!"  
He cackled insanely, making an eerie echo in all the hearts he's haunted.  
Back at the temple, Marie had many visions. She found herself waking up in the night several times in terror, but when trying to recall the nightmare, she couldn't even remember the vaguest details. Spirit noticed that morning, she slept in for once, and he decided not to bother her.  
"It's nearly noon..." Klonoa said with a sigh, looking down at her "This is so unlike of my sister..."

"Don't worry..." Spirit said, stroking her ear, she unconsciously purred as he kept running her soft fur gently through his fingers "She's had it really rough lately... I'm not surprised she needs all this rest..."

He stayed with Marie the entire time, petting her affectionately. It was past noon by the time she woke up with a mew from. Without any warning Marie snatched him in her arms in a cuddle, and remained silent, nuzzling his cheek..

"Nightmares?"

"Yeah... I don't remember what they were, though." She answered, starting to run her hand through his hair. Spirit purred at this, causing him to blush slightly.

"Awwww You're still so shy and cute." Marie cuddled him more, making his cheeks more pink with each passing moment. He placed his hand upon the orb once more; the sphere seeming to glow brighter than ever.

"I hope our kids end up as sweet as you." Marie said in a blissful voice.

He nodded "I hope they're as beautiful, kind, and caring as you..."  
"And I hope... they can grow up in a world without Zeetan..." she paused, frowning "He's done so much to hurt us both... I wouldn't wish the tortures he's done to me onto any soul..."  
"We'll get him... and my father back!" Spirit said, hugging her tightly "I can't wait to see him... you know, when he's in his right mind..."  
"Yeah..." she forced a shy smile "He'll be a grampa..."  
She giggled at the thought, and said "He looked a lot like you... he had your Gaian wings... you know?"

He shook his head, but smiled, stroking her ear. Klonoa walked in on the couple, scratching his head as he raised a brow.  
"C'mon, you two, the High Priestess wants us!" he said. They both nodded and got up to follow him. Soon they made it to the temple's entrance chamber, and the priestess rose from her chair and walked up to Spirit.  
"So you're the Gaia... born of heart and light..." she said in her sorrowful voice, looking to Marie "And the child of water..."  
They both nodded, as she continued "Each with the responsibility to protect the universe from darkness... we need your help... I know well of these heartless creatures that showed up on Lunatea... and unlike most worlds, our heart is divided into 5... the elements..."  
"How do you know all this?" Marie interupted in curiosity.

She smiled "Dear child, with age comes wisdom, and I have been on this world for a very long time... anyways, Zeetan has tainted a few of our villains, and they are after the elements... therefore I left them with this world's most powerful being; the King of Sorrow..."  
"I remember him..." Klonoa said "So he's back and alive?""Very much so, he was reborn and now a part of his kingdom... but he can use assistance for when Zeetan starts his raid on the castle..."

Everyone nodded understandingly before leaving the temple.

"So, where is the King of Sorrow?" Spirit asked.

"He's in a sub-world of Lunatea, but it's only accessible by an air ship." Klonoa answered as an object came flying into view. It looked like an airplane, but with spinning jewels in place of propellers and it had a strange, magenta symbol shaped like an eye with a cross on it.

"Is that..." Lolo gasped as she shielded herself from the dust being kicked up. Two beings then hopped out of it. One was a tan, red haired woman; and the other was a black and white cat-like creature, with a green ring floating around her tail.

"Leorina!" Klonoa said in disbelief.

"And Tat; her cutie sidekick!" the floating feline added.

"Yes, we decided to put aside all pilfering plans for the day..." she said in a cool, laid back voice, a glint in her eye "How could we steal if our world gets destroyed?"

Marie stuck her tongue out at her, as Tat approached Spirit, walking around him.  
"Ooooooo, a kitty!" she squeeled "How perfect, he's so cute"  
"And he's _mine_, keep that in mind!" Marie said, nudging her cheek against his, causing him to blush and purr.  
"Well, let's get going..." Klonoa said "Lolo, Popka, in the ring... the priestess instructed that we'll need fighters during the flight..."  
He tilted his head to Marie "I hope you've been brushing up on aerial combat..."  
She nodded, helping Spirit up on the wing, Klonoa hopping up. The ship took flight into the air, and they took off. Barely five minutes later, a swarm of tiny robots swooped in and attacked with drills made for piercing the skin. Klonoa swatted them away with his Wind Saber, already expecting them. Another ship swooped in overhead.; green and black, with many weapons off the side.

"Greetings Klonoa! I suppose the Dream Champ could use some new competition!" a voice rang out from its speaker system.

"Garlen!" Klonoa shouted. The ship then turned around, keeping pace with Leorina's.

"That machine is so heavily armored..." Leorina said, swerving to the side as lasers, cogs, and moos whooshed by Spirit's head "You'll have to take it out through the inside..."  
Marie nodded, spreading her wings "Leave that to me to get by the defenses, just try to avoid the lasers!"  
"Heh, with this clown's aim, that'll be easy" Leorina said, swerving again. She leapt off the ship, spreading her wings as she ascended in the air, avoiding enemy fire, swatting away robots with her sword. Suddenly, a drill hit her from behind, some mechanical claw grabbing around her waist. A seperate machine grabbed onto her, controled by Garlen.  
"Time to clip this bird's wings!" he said, pointing a lazer behind her as she struggled. He turned it on, and it seared into her skin, causing it to burn. Spirit stared on in horror, when he finished her wings were stunned, unable to move from the shock, and the claw let go, causing her body to plummet towards the ground. She closed her eyes, the earth approaching fast, and readied herself to embrace impact, until something swooped under her. She openned her eyes to see herself in Spirit's arms, flying through the air with Gaian wings. He landed on the outside of Garlen's ship, wings quickly dispersing in a shower of white feathers.

"Are you okay!" he asked, fearful of Marie's condition.

"Of course" she said, hopping out of his arms "You saved me, after all!"

He was ready to hug her in relief, but a concentrated beam of energy shot through Spirit's shoulder, leaving him writhing in pain on the ground.

"Spirit!" Marie screamed, seeing blood dripping onto the ground.

"Darn, I was aiming for his heart." an unfamiliar voice said. Streams of light then began to float together, seeming to moan as they moved through the air. Within moments, Zeetan's latest follower had materialized in front of them, an evil grin on his face.

"I suppose my aim has gotten poor over the years." He said with a somewhat feminine laugh. "How could you! He hasn't done anything!" Marie shouted as she cradled Spirit in her arms. "Except to be a burden to my master."

"Spirit..." she laid him down, not wanting to turn around to battle "Stay safe, okay?"

He nodded and smiled, as she drew her blade of light, and materialized a vortex of water around herself. She launched the attacks at him, clouding his vision so she could land a blow. Form shifting from the extreme speed, she plunged the sword into his chest, sinking through his skin. "Did... did it work?" she asked aloud, as he looked at her with a smirk, causing her fur to jump. She saw her blade enveloped in darkness, and tried prying it out, until he smacked her aside.

"Foolish girl. You can't kill what's already dead." Seymour chuckled. "I'm afraid I must go now, but I'll leave you with a present."

He then raised his hand to the air, the sky growing dark "Come forth and feel my pain! I summon you; Anima!"

A gigantic hook and chain then descended from the sky, creating a dark portal on top of the ship. As it drew back up, it brought with it an enormous mummified creature, with only a single yellow eye breaking through the bandages on its head. It let out an ear-splitting moan as it came to life, its body only halfway out of the portal.

"Behold my servant, Anima: The great Aeon of death!"


	18. Chapter 18

"I have backup too..."

Marie took out her whistle she retrieved from Midgard, playing a soft and mythical tune. Spirit gazed on in curiosity, his vision blurring from blood loss. When it finished the sky swirled in a vortex, and out of a massive portal came a mighty, winged lizard, what most would call a dragon. With a roar it swooped in, perching on the massive ship. Meanwhile, Klonoa stared up at the sky "So it's true... the mighty dragon exists... and Marie controls it..."  
"Mizuya!" Marie pointed to Anima "Kulaya bi naroo! Kunai!"  
It faced the creature, opening its mouth and a massive beam formed, spreading its wings. It launched a mighty attack, decimating the summoned monster as well as part of the ship, causing it to plummet through the sky. Marie quickly grabbed Spirit in midair, landing on the dragon's back.  
"Hakura si mahu, kunai!" she pointed to Leo's airship, and it followed. Marie soon turned back to Spirit, almost unconscious from pain.

"I can't heal it all, but this will do for now." she said, raising her hands above his shoulder. A blue aura soon surrounded them, infusing energy into his wound, sealing it shut to stop the loss of blood. Spirit opened his eyes slowly, his surroundings coming back into focus.

"This will have to do... There's still some torn tissue that will have to heal on its own." Marie explained. She scratched the back of her head out of nervousness "And that blood may be tough to get out of your fur..."

"That's the last thing on my mind..." he raised his hand, taking hers "As long as you're safe..." he coughed, forcing out every word. Marie stroked his fur, causing him to purr.  
"Rest easy, I'll protect you for now..." she said with a gentle hug "I won't let anything happen to you..."  
He fell asleep in her arms, as she turned her head, looking upon the sky as the air around them both began to ripple, as if they were crossing through water. Soon Marie found herself in a land drenched in amber sunset, lifeless and falling apart.  
"Now that I think of it... I know of this place, but never came here..." Marie said, closing her eyes. This realm seemed to bring out her deepest emotions, and a tear rolled down her cheek, causing her to smile "The sorrow... it's so beautiful... how the emotion of the broken souls cries out in this realm, yet at the same time rest easy... the spiritual energy..."

She snapped back to reality as Mizuya turned to Spirit, giving a deep throated growl.

"It's okay... He's not a Feina..." Marie said, still petting Spirit as he slept, forgetting she was speaking English, yet the dragon understood from her emotions. He soon awoke from his deep slumber, yawning slighty.

"Feeling better?"

Spirit nodded, his purring making it tough to talk. She hugged him gently, not wanting to hurt his shoulder.

"Well, this is it... The Kingdom of Sorrow." Marie explained. Spirit looked around, the sorrowful energy bringing back some old memories. She then pointed to a strange castle, pierced at the top of a winding path "That's where we'll find him..."

They soon came to a landing and Marie hopped off, letting the dragon rest. It nudged her as she said "Kuyoma Spirit, lujie?"  
It turned to him, curling its tail around his body. It felt awkward for him, and he asked "What did you tell her to do?""Protect you..." she smiled "The worse that'll happen is she'll treat you like a hatchling..."  
"Wait!" he tried to rise to his feet but the motherly reptilian beast had him in her gentle grip. She ran inside, seeing a crater in the middle of the room, a green being before her with ears as big as hers. His eyes were a red hue, deeply reflecting sorrow.  
"I guess Klonoa hasn't made it yet..." he said in a soft voice, floating over to her. He landed before her, taking a closer look "Something about you seems familiar... the emotion deep in your heart..."  
"?"  
"It's sorrow..." he said "You hide something from the world..."  
She gasped slightly in shock, her mood changing "Yes... I never told Spirit... that a great object of destruction lays in my heart... it happened just last night... and I can feel its power flow through me..."  
"But..."  
"I want it out, I can feel it taunt my inner minds... trying to taint my soul... no one has noticed, thankfully... if Zeetan was to find out..."  
"Let's hope he doesn't..." he laid a hand on her chest, a glowing coming from it. She looked up, unsure of what to expect, but found a pain from her mind easing away.  
"Do not worry, this will help you... it's isolating the power from the rest of your body..."  
She could feel her vision blur and a pounding headache coming.  
"But you need to adjust once again in this change of power..."  
She tried to fight it off, but found it inevitable, the darkness surrounding her, her vision blurring. A dull headache formed, and everything went black. Soon Klonoa came in, alarmed at first to see his little sister blacked out, but relieved to see her fine.

"You must take her..." Sorrow said, lifting the small child "This world..."

Klonoa looked up confused, gasping.

"You were too late... they already took the elements... and this world will collapse soon..."

"No!"

"It's the truth... I'm sorry, Klonoa... you couldn't save this world, but please, save your friends..." he pointed to the one in his arms "She's counting on you, dream traveler..."

Klonoa solemnly nodded, turning around as darkness started filling the temple. He then came running out of the castle with Marie in his arms, fierce winds beginning to suck the kingdom inwards. The mighty gale awoke Spirit, as he stared on in worry and confusion.

"We didn't make it in time, and now the world is falling apart!" Klonoa quickly explained, placing Marie on the dragon's back "You must take care of my sister, I have to find my friends!"

Spirit nodded, taking Marie in his arms "I'll protect her with my life"

Mizuya took off and he held his love tightly, despite the fact he only had one usable arm. He then closed his eyes and cried, his tears landing on Marie's vest.

"Some Gaia I am... I have to protect the universe, but I can't even protect you..."

"No..." he heard a voice before him, as the dragon flew through a vortex of blue. When it cleared away he found himself in some natural paradise in the sky, and looked over to see Ranoke before him, perched on the dragon's back.  
"She didn't get hurt... she is only tired, that's all..." she smiled, laying a hand on Spirit, somehow solid "I believe she couldn't be in any better hands than yours..."  
"But what about all the times Zeetan got her?" he said, still sorrowful."She endured the pain because your heart gives her strength, I can tell... she's chosen a kind young lad to be with..." she said with a smile "I will always watch over my daughter, and I hope you will too..."  
He nodded, hugging Marie tightly as Mizuya made her landing before a lake, crystal clear that stretched on towards a mountain. Above the mountains three spires pierced the sky, and nothing could be seen beyond that except calm, cloudy skies. To the west laid a grassy plain that stretched on forever, and to his right was a cave, filled with crystals. Marie suddenly woke up, staring sleepily at Spirit.

"How did we get to Blue Haven?" She asked, apparently familiar with the area.

"Mizuya took us as Lunatea fell..."

"You mean... It's gone?"

Spirit nodded. Marie frowned, remembering how much fun she had there.

"Lunatea can be restored... If the dark one is destroyed." Marie turned to this voice, seeing Ranoke standing before her. Without thinking, she jumped out of Spirit's arms and hugged her mother who returned the embrace, then looked up at Spirit. "The waters here have healing properties. It could help treat the rest of your shoulder."

Marie noticed and took his hand, leading him over to the shallow waters as she cupped her hands around it, lifting it out of the lake. A soft blue aura came from her wrists to her fingers and she pressed it against his wound, causing every last bit of pain to ease away. He moved his shoulder around, stiff from being limp, then used it to grab her in a sudden hug. She giggled and smiled, returning the warm embrace, blushing up as she did so.  
After a few minutes, a figure approached in the distance, dark yet familiar. Marie's ears perked and she let go of Spirit to yell "Daddy!"  
She ran over to the dark god to embrace him with an eager wagging tail, closer and closer. Just as she approached him he raised his fist and backhanded her with such force that she fell to the side, a bruise on her cheek.

"D-daddy?" she stuttered, curling her tail around her legs as a sudden glare pierced her very soul. He smirked "The Leie you knew is gone! I am now a messenger of Zeetan!"  
Spirit recognized the symbol on his head, the exact same as Luce's. Marie's surrogate father lifted her by the shirt, bringing her face level with his.  
"A message from Zeetan; he knows your secret, child, and he's going to get that final materia! When he does everyone will perish and die, leaving him and his followers!"  
Every word was spoken harshly with great force as he continued "But he'll spare you, to torture everyday for an eternity as a punishment for all those you couldn't save! You couldn't save me, you couldn't save your mother!"  
"No!" she struggled against his grip with tear-streamed eyes as he yelled in her face "And you can't save that pesky Gaia, or anyone else! Accept your fate!"  
Her eyes reflected terror and fear, when a blade suddenly went through his chest, emitting a light. He dropped Marie and fell to the ground, Spirit standing behind him with the Ultima.

The Symbol on Leie's head began to crack apart, eventually shattering into green fragments that disappeared in puffs of black fire.

"What... Happened..." He moaned, still regaining consciousness.

"The mark was destroyed... Does that mean..." Spirit thought. Leie then realized what must have happened and hugged Marie tightly.

"I'm so sorry! I let him trick me!" he sobbed. She was still shaken from everything, her mind not able to grasp all that had happened. Just then, she felt the familiar sensation of Spirit's hand upon her head. Marie turned around quickly and cried into his chest. He petted her softly as tears streamed down his cheeks saying, "It's okay... I'm here for you..."

"I-I can't believe I punched her..." a few hours later, Leie sat by the water's edge with his love, staring into the water. Ranoke laid a hand upon his shoulder, and smiled, saying "It's ok, look..."  
She turned around and pointed at Marie asleep in Spirit's arms. Though she calmed down long ago, he didn't want to let go of her, and soon he found himself becoming tired as well. Leie smiled "I thought she would be too scared to love since Alex's death long ago, I feel proud she's found such a caring person to be with..."  
Spirit hummed a tranquile tune in her ear, and he felt a rumble against his chest from purring. He laid his back against Mizuya who became affectionate towards him, causing him to fall sleep.

"Yeah... you're right..." Leie smiled and put an arm around Ranoke "Well... I think it's best we get them home..."

"Yeah..."

Spirit woke up the next day in his bedroom, the dragon gone, but Marie stayed, lying by him. She had her head against his chest, and openned her eyes, staring up at him.  
"This sound... I never noticed it before..." she said with a smile.  
"?"  
"A gentle thump from your chest..."  
"Ah, it's a heart beat... you know? It's a sign that I'm still alive, if the heart keeps going..."  
She sat up and shook her head "I don't have one of those... does that mean my heart isn't working, or it's not there?"

Spirit smiled at her. "It probably just works different for deities. Besides, a physical heart isn't the same as the one in your soul."

Marie cocked her head in confusion.

"This one may keep me alive, but it's not what makes me love you."

She smiled from this, giving Spirit a tiny kiss on the cheek. Suddenly, a loud crash came from outside, causing the floor to shake.

"What was that!" Spirit exclaimed. Everyone heard it, and rushed out to see what had happened. A massive robot army stood outside, demolishing the landscape.

"What the heck is going on!" Sora gasped.

"You there!" a voice called out. Soon, a man in a flying vehicle hovered in. He was heavy set, with a red mustache below his beady eyes "You're intruding on the future site of the Eggman Empire!"


	19. Chapter 19

"Future site?" Marie flew up to his carrier, coming face to face with the evil genius "This is our **home!**"  
"Not anymore it isn't!" he pointed out the house, missiles launching its way. Her eyes dilated in shock, but a blue blur zipped by, a hedgehog jumping on top of the missiles to alter their course.   
"Whoa..." Marie landed toward the ground, staring in awe at this stranger hero, then ran over to Spirit, whispering "Do you recognize this guy?"  
He shook his head "No, but I think he may be on our side..."

"No! It can't be!" the man yelled as the missiles flew back and decimated his machines.

"But it is!" the blue hedgehog said as he landed on the ground.

"Who is that?"

"Name's Sonic! This big blowhard over here's Eggman."

"That's Doctor Ivo Robotnic to the likes of you!" he said proudly. Eggman pressed a button in his vehicle, causing an enormous serpentine robot to come tunneling out of the ground. His vehicle then merged with the robot, giving him control over it.

"Let's see how you like dealing with Egg Viper Version two!"

"Whoa..." Marie backed down, turning to Spirit "Should I summon Mizuya?"  
He shook his head "She could easily be confused for an enemy, besides, this is a machine, it can be broken..."  
"Just follow my lead!" Sonic said, spinning his body into a sphere, barraging the machine. He cause a few dents, but a shield deflected it. Marie gazed up, a certain aura reflecting in her eyes as water materialized around at her will, creating a round mass of energy in her hands. She fired the mass at the machine, though small it made a gigantic explosion.  
"Erm... you think that worked?" she turned to Spirit, forcing a grin, the last bit of smoke clearing away. Suddenly, a beam fired out from behind the last of the smoke. Marie tackled Spirit out of the way as the Egg Viper emerged, untouched.

"This latest model is indestructible! Its energy shield covers the entire front of its body!" Robotnic laughed. Two spiked wheels on the side of it then started to spin, finally shooting off in Sonic's direction. He jumped over them at the last second, chuckling a bit as he did.

"So, you say only the front is protected?"

Eggman suddenly went pale upon hearing this, sweat running down his face "Darn it... Why did I have to rush in development!"

Spirit took out his ultima, looking to Marie who nodded, as if thinking as one. She took his arm and took flight above the machine, avoiding lasers and missiles to distract Eggman. Spirit deflected a few with his Ultima as she made it towards the back of the ship. She focused upon the shield with glowing eyes, sensing out its hole and landing on the back. Spirit plunged his Ultima through the metal immediately after landing. He found it stuck, and Marie placed her hands upon the hilt as well, sending energy through the blade, surging into the massive robot. She then jerked on the blade, pulling it out and flying off with Spirit once again before Eggman could counter the attack. Now the ship had hole in its defenses, and Sonic could clearly make out the marker, jumping at the hole in his balled up form. In an instant he cut through all the metal using his spinning quills, damaging the robot's innards before coming out the other side, causing an explosion. As the wreckage fell to the ground, Eggman's vehicle rose out from it.

"This isn't the last you'll hear of me!" the mad doctor shouted, smoking from the near-fatal explosion. He then darted off with the remains of his robot army.

"He'll be back..." Sonic said.

"Thanks for the help back there." Spirit said in a friendly tone.

"It's nothing, I've fought him myself plenty of times. Anyway, you two weren't half bad either." "I'm Marie, and this is Spirit." the young goddess finally said. Everyone else introduced themselves as well.

"It's great meeting all of you, but I need to go and find out what Eggman is planning next."

She nodded "Just tell us if you see any dark creatures, okay? They're all over the universe lately and we've been fighting them-"  
"I'm sure I can handle myself" he confidently said "But I'll keep it in mind, okay?"  
She nodded gleefully and turned to Spirit "Now to clean the debris off our front lawn!"  
"Eh?" he tilted his head towards her as she explained "We can't leave messes lying around, and this stuff is cluttering our lawn, and also ruining the natural view we get... besides, it's littering if we leave it!"  
"Yeah..."  
So they spent their afternoon toiling, cleaning up. Everyone worked hard to do their part, and actually found the labor rewarding. Spirit noticed as Marie cleaned she let a melody flow from her soul  
"And then a hero comes along,  
with the strength to carry on,

And you cast your fears aside,

and you know you can hold on"  
She sang lightly, humming bits and pieces to herself, catching Spirit's attention.  
"You sing?" Spirit asked, causing her to blush up.  
"Not very well, but I find that music can keep me going... and this song inspires me to hold on..."

"Soon there will be nothing left to hold on to!" a hated voice echoed. Everyone stood at ready as Zeetan appeared, with Artross hovering by his side.

"He looks like Spirit!" Sora gasped.

"This poor fool tried to destroy me, but it was all in vain." Spirit looked at his father, shocked by the sight of him.

"Look upon him, boy... He couldn't stop me, and neither can you..."

Another figure appeared behind Zeetan, its reptilian form sending a cold chill down Samus's spine.

"Ridley! How can you still be alive!"

"You underestimate Space Pirate technologies..."

"Ridely, get the girl! Artross, my minion" he pointed to Spirit "kill that Gaian!"  
Both nodded, ready to carry out their jobs; Ridely flew down swiftly, ready to attack Marie, but Samus charged up her plasma gun, firing a great beam of energy at him. The water goddess materialized her light sword, running up to Spirit.  
"I got your back!" she said "There's no way I'm backing down from this battle!"  
"Okay!" he nodded "Besides, nothing can defeat our team work!"  
Artross descended in the air slightly, tilting his head towards Spirit before advancing quickly.  
"Here it comes!" she said, suddenly materializing a bubble of energy around them both, dispersing it into a wave that deflected the blow of Spirit's Gaian father, giving the young Gaia time to counter the attack, bringing out his Ultima. Artross noticed this and flapped his wings, giving him a boost to evade the attack. Spirit's slash missed, and the older Gaia seized this moment to land a powerful blow to the side. He fell down in pain, and Marie came in the way, deflecting Artross' finishing blow as two swords scraped upon each other, the friction causing bright sparks.

"Spirit, you'll never hit him like that! Feel the fire in your heart and release that energy upon him!" Sephiroth instructed. Spirit heard this and began to focus his energy, causing a glowing symbol to appear in front of one of his hands. A series of blue fireballs then materialized around it, each burning with the intensity of his heart. Spirit raised his arm to Artross, causing the fireballs to shoot off at him like a machine gun. Each one hit its mark, causing some dark energy to surge out of Artross' body.

"Spi...rit..." he stammered.

"Pathetic fool! You belong to me!" Zeetan roared as he increased the power of his mind control. "Son... The darkness..."

"Stop!" Marie went at Zeetan with her sword, the blade sinking into his skin. Though it didn't hurt him, she distracted him slightly. He tilted his head towards her with an evil laugh, grabbing onto her throat, but since he diverted his attention towards her, Spirit was able to break Artross free. The last bit of his symbol faded away, and Zeetan held a hand upon Marie's chest, shrouded in darkness.  
"It doesn't matter I lost control of the Gaia..." he said, as a pain filled her body, making it hard to breath "I have the materia, and that's all that matters..."  
"No..." she said weakly, a sudden blinding light repelling his hand, coming from Spirit's Ultima.  
The pain caused him to drop her, and she fell to the ground, being caught in Spirit's arms as she looked up with a smile. Zeetan phased away into the darkness, and Samus just wore down the last bit of Ridely's strength.  
"Are you okay?" Spirit asked, receiving a soft smile.  
"Of course..." she said standing up "I'm always okay with you around..."  
She suddenly hunched over, grasping onto her chest, extremely sore from the darkness that flowed through her body.  
"You have it, don't you?" Spirit said in a sorrowful tone.

"Huh!"

"The fourth Materia... It's inside you, isn't it?"

Marie nodded, tears streaming down her fur "How did you know?"

"I could sense another power within you... It didn't take long for me to find out what it was..." Spirit answered, holding Marie in his arms "There's a terrible power within it... It feels like a part of a gateway... A gateway to something of unimaginable evil..."

Spirit's ears perked at this "Maybe Zeetan isn't all we have to worry about."

"Or maybe he is..."


	20. Chapter 20

"If that's true..." Artross said solemnly "Zeetan will stop at nothing to get it back..."  
Marie turned to Spirit, a distressed look upon her face. He only smiled and hugged her gently "Don't worry, I promised I'd keep you safe, and I intend to!"  
"Thanks..." she purred lightly, pressing her head against his warm chest before slowly falling asleep to the rhythmic beating of his warm heart. She woke up sometime later in his room, Spirit holding the orb. He forced a smile "I just didn't want the orb to lose any energy... sorry if I went through your pockets..."  
"It's ok..." she smiled, hugging him "You did it for the twins... but does your father know...?"  
He shook his head "Not yet, but I'm sure he'd approve..."

"It's weird... Seeing my father for the first time..."

Marie patted his head "You've wanted to meet him for so long... I'll understand if you want to go talk with him."

Spirit shook his head. "And leave you alone? Never!"

Marie smiled and scratched him behind one of his ears, causing him to purr uncontrollably. "You're such a cute lil' kitty" she said lovingly. Spirit blushed, but managed to let out a short laugh. Marie giggled back as she wrapped her arms around him, closing her eyes from the secure feeling she had with him.

"We'll beat Zeetan... I know it..."

She nodded "When we work together, we can do anything! Anyways, I'd like to go meet Artross myself..."  
"Then let's go! He's out in the living room" Spirit took her hand, though her legs wobbled slightly she still managed to walk. The warmth she felt from holding his hand somehow made all her worries ease away, and she giggled.  
"Out here!" he lead her to the living room, and upon the couch sat his father, wings folded down. Pure white, soft, and feathery like Spirit's. She timidly sat down by him, staring curiously.  
"So you're Spirit's daddy?" she forced the words, wondering how he would react "I'm Marie..."

The Gaia turned to her, smiling as he rustled the fur on her head "You bet, but you can just call me Artross!" he stood up and walked over to Spirit, looking at him intently "You've definitely got your mother's eyes, but you have my good looks as well."

He then patted his bewildered son on the back. "Great work freeing me from Zeetan's mind control!"

Spirit looked up at his father, speechless from the millions of thoughts rushing through his mind. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you growing up, but you turned out better than could be expected."

Spirit let out a sigh of relief, seeing how his father acted so casually.  
"And what's that you have there?" he asked, pointing to the blue sphere in Marie's arms "You're expecting?"  
Her eyes widened as she hugged onto it. It cast off a warm glow, and was bigger than when they first got it. She paused and nodded with a blush "Yes, I am having twins..."  
"And who's the lucky lad to be with a goddess?" he asked with a chuckle.   
"Erm..." Marie forced a shy smile, her voice becoming quieter as she spoke, until Spirit spoke up for her, saying "I am..."  
Artross looked as if he would burst out in rage, but quickly smiled in his usual carefree manner. "Guess I'm going to be a grandpa!"

Marie and Spirit both smiled back in relief, breathing heavily.

"You two must really love each other then... I know Cryssnan reproduction only occurs during a peak of intimacy." Artross said happily. The two blushed intensely, but were somewhat happy. Knowing their love caused a miracle was a pleasant thought.

"It was unfortunate that you had to be born mortally, but I'm sure you know by now that Gaias weren't made to be able to sustain life within themselves."

"Our origins never matter..." Marie nuzzled her kitten nose against Spirit's whiskers "It's what we choose to do with our lives..."  
"Yeah, I guess you're right" Artross nodded, scratching his chin "And it looks like Spirit had to make quite a few important choices; getting a soul mate, being a father... so when are you two getting married?"  
"Married?" Marie tilted her head "Our culture doesn't have marriage, we think that a kiss is binding enough..."  
"But Spirit's culture does, and who knows? Maybe it'll be a pleasurable experience..." he said. Marie blushed "Umm... I never gave that much thought..." her voice became quiet again.

"It's okay... We don't have to have a wedding if you don't want to." Spirit said in an understanding voice.

"No... If it means we can express our love for each other... I'll do it." Marie wrapped her arms around Spirit as she usually did.

"But there's another problem... Zarconia is full of bounty hunters that are after me."

Artross casually shrugged "Maybe not... I have a feeling things will change soon enough..." Spirit looked at his father confusedly.

"You'll find out in time... For now, we have to keep Zeetan away from the final Materia."

"Which means that Marie should never go out of our sights..." Spirit said, holding her in his arms "I promised I'll always protect you, Marie, so I'm not leaving you alone..."  
She blushed at this, cheeks becoming pink "Th-thanks, Spirit..." she said, her last bit of nervousness melting away with the warmth of love "I'll always be here for you..."  
Artross could only stare on and shed a tear, proud of how his son turned out to be, yet regretting the fact that he wasn't there for him to grow up.

The rest of the day went on without incident, and Artross soon returned to the Gaian Realm to catch up on what had happened in his absence. Spirit and Marie slept soundly, comforted by the warmth of the ever growing orb. All they wanted was a world free from Zeetan, where the twins could live without fear. Spirit often wished he could see them as his love did, but knew that he wouldn't be any less surprised upon seeing them once they had hatched. Though, he still had faint memories in his dreams of seeing them in the reflection at Mira Mira. Marie, however, had dreams opposite of his. Nightmares plagued her; before her stood the form of Zeetan, plunging a ghostly hand into her heart. She begged and plead for him to spare everyone, yet he didn't listen, trying to retrieve the artifact in her. As she struggled, he lost grip, and she fell into the never ending dark pit below her.  
"!" she awoke from her nightmare with a gasp, panting heavily as she looked over to Spirit, still sound asleep. She quietly crept out of the room, and closed the door.  
"Maybe a walk will ease my mind..." she said, opening the door as she stepped out into the cold night. Her fur quivered and twitched, adjusting to the change of temperature as she walked down the dirt trail. Marie soon reached the sea-side hill that Spirit had shown her, and thought that staring off into the vast ocean could help clear her mind. Her worries seemed to drift away with the tide, until she felt a strong dark presence come towards her. She turned just in time to see Zeetan lunge at her, but he was quickly sent out of the way with a blow from Artross' sword. "Run Marie! Tell the others what has happened!" the Gaia shouted.

"Artross... You couldn't stand up to me in the past, and this time won't be any different!"

She nodded and ran down the path, stepping lightly upon the ground as it increased her speed. In the distance she saw a clearing, leading to her house.  
"A-almost there..." she whispered to herself through the panting, when a dark figure appeared in front of her; Zeetan.

She gasped "No, Artross is fighting you!"  
"Correction" he cackled "Artross is fighting an illusion, thanks to Janga!"  
She backed away, trembling in fear until she turned around, ready to run back to the other Gaia, taking flight into the air. She was stopped in mid-flight though, Zeetan fazed in front of her, and she immediately flew in the other direction. Everywhere she turned to found Zeetan, until fatigue set in and she slowly fell back towards the earth, trying her best to stand. Her head throbbed and her wings were numb, she could barely stand at this point.  
"Foolish goddess, you can never run from me!" he said, placing a spectral hand upon her. It instantly became shrouded in darkness, as he plunged it into her chest, trying to retrieve the artifact. Yet she still tried to fight back, concentrating her energy into bursts that stung his hand, but the darkness kept him from feeling a thing, and it wasn't too long before she finally passed out, and Zeetan retrieved the final Materia.

"It's mine! At last, the final key between the shadows and the light belongs to me!" Zeetan laughed hauntingly as Marie blacked out on the stony ground. Spirit and the others came rushing up, all ready for battle. The young Gaia took hold of his love before handing her to Sephiroth for protection.

"Well, it appears you're all in time to witness the beginning of the end!"

Spirit scowled at the demon as he summoned his sword for battle. At that moment, all of Zeetan's followers materialized around him, each grinning evily.

"We'll take you all on!" Sora shouted.

"Yes, but can you take on me?" Zeetan asked ominously.

"I'll defeat you just like before!" Spirit exclaimed. Zeetan began to laugh, knowing something that no one else did.

"You fool... The body you see before you is nothing but a shadow of my true self! These materia are the key to summoning my body to this world!"

Everyone gasped at this, as the four jewels began to surge with dark energy "It is time! Your existance has come to an end!"

The materia floated into the air, forming energy strands that shaped themselves like one of Zeetan's control marks. A black vortex then opened behind it, letting loose the screams of lost souls. He laughed as his body disappeared, and a pair of demonic yellow eyes appeared inside the darkness. A form then began to appear out of the portal. Its claws broke free of the dimensional bond, followed by his head and body. The portal then disappeared, leaving only a frightening creature of pure evil in its place.

"It's... Impossible!" Spirit gasped "This is Zeetan!"

The creature laughed in an echoing voice, exposing a set of razor-sharp teeth "Look upon me, mortals... The true face of darkness has come!"

"S-Spirit..." Marie uttered in Sephiroph's arms as he carried her home "Spirit!"  
"Rest, young one..." he said, trying to get her to a safe spot "You've done all that you could, leave it up to the Gaias now..."  
She open her eyes weakly, filled with sorrow, forcing out every word "I... want to help..."  
"The only way you can help is by resting up..." he gently laid her body in her bed, as she tried her best to sit up. Her body twitched and quivered again, her muscles unwilling to move and she frowned once again.  
"Don't worry, the battle isn't over yet... as we speak, Spirit's fighting for us all out there, as well as all your friends... you must be strong for them all, strong for Spirit..."  
"I guess..." she looked down to the orb at the foot of her bed, and he seemed to notice, handing it to her. She summoned what small amount of strength she had left to wrap her arms around it, and fell asleep to its soft light.

Meanwhile, Zeetan had yet to make a move, but enjoyed the fear that he had caused by his arrival.

"Are you surprised, Gaia? I was always watching you, and studying everything to prepare for this day whaen I would be set free! And now, there is nothing you can do to stop me!"

Spirit's wings materialized as he stood ready to fight "I can still defeat you!"

The young Gaia then lunged at Zeetan, who sent him back with nothing more than his aura. "What was that about defeating me?" The demon taunted. Zeetan summoned a collosal scythe, that seemed to darken the very air around it. He then phased into the shadows and reappeared in front of Spirit.

"Say goodnight, Gaia!"

With that, Zeetan struck Spirit through the chest, sending the young hero hurtling into a rock and slowly sliding to the ground in a heap.

"Well, Master... Are you going to finish him off?" Seymour asked.

"No need. That's pure dark energy I sent through him... He'll be dead within minutes!"

His eyes dilated, and he clung onto life, the darkness inside poisoning his body. His vision doubled, and he nearly passed out, until a pure white entity appeared before him. He tried to focus, the child laying a hand upon his heart. His pain eased away, the darkness being purged from his body.  
"M-marie?" he looked to her, trying to rise as the entity plunged further down, becoming one with his heart. As he rose back up, his wings shining brilliantly and he felt a new power. Their hearts became one, and through their infinite love, he knew that he could take Zeetan down.  
"Marie..." he looked down to his hand, materializing the Ultima once again "I feel your strength running through my veins..." he looked up to Zeetan "And I promise you I won't let him win!"

"I should have known... You don't die that easily..." Zeetan growled "However, all good things must come to an end!"

The demon fired a dark energy beam from his mouth, but as the dust cleared from the attack; Spirit was unharmed, and had blocked the shot with two swords.

"What!" Zeetan roared in anger.

"Dual weilding... That can only happen when two hearts work as one..." Sora gasped.

"It makes no difference... I'll crush you like an insect!" Zeetan tried once more to slash Spirit with his scythe, but the Gaia dodged it and sliced through the shadow lord's arm with one of the Gaia Ultimas. The demon roared with pain as dark energy seeped out of the wound like black mist.

"Perhaps you aren't as weak as I thought..." he laughed as his arm reformed "But, you're still no match for me!"

Zeetan then raised his hand to the air, and Spirit was instantly subdued by a series of dark energy chains that rose from the ground.

"It's over, boy!"

"No it's not!" Spirit shouted as his wings broke the chains apart. He then charged Zeetan, and sliced through his chest with both swords. The demon was sent flying back, and exploded into black flame that ignited the ground.

"You did it! Way to go, Spirit!" Sora congratulated.

"So... You think it's over, do you!"

Zeetan rose from the flames, dark energy seeping out of his missing limbs and fissures.

"Doesn't this guy ever die?"

"You fools! You have only just begun to taste the power of true darkness! You can't stop the apocalypse!"

With that, Zeetan's body broke into dark energy, that quickly seeped into the ground. Everyone waited expecting the worse; and they got it. A massive, pitch black claw lurched up from the ground, followed by a tremendous monster of horrible power and size. As its eyes opened, everyone was frozen with fear.

"You can never defeat me! I am the devil!" it said telepathically "This is my most powerful form; Bielzeetan!"

It let out a blood-curdling roar that instantly weakened everyone in the area; except for Spirit. "Go get him, Master!" Ansem shouted.

"Devour his soul!" Ridley chanted along. Bielzeetan stomped his foot on the ground, releasing a stream of Heartless at Spirit. He fought them off with little effort, soon turning his attention back to the demon before him. The creature opened its mouth, charging a dark energy ray. Spirit dodged it just in time and swiped at one of Bielzeetan's legs. It had no effect, and left Spirit open for a swipe of the monster's axe-like tail. As Spirit was sent flying into a boulder, he shook it off, ignoring the pain.

"Face it! You can't save this universe, any more than you can save your precious little goddess!" the creature spoke "Friendship, love, humanity... Weak concepts that hinder true power... The power attained from darkness!"

"That's not true!" Spirit said in a calm voice "You care of no one, and live only to destroy, but some of us fight for the ones we care for, and they give us strength. That's what makes me stronger!"

Spirit wings suddenly turned golden, and released a brilliant light that blinded the shadow demon.

"What... Is this!"

"Those who live in darkness are often blinded by the light, while those who live in light only gain strength from its radiance!"

Spirit then struck through the center of Bielzeetan's body, revealing a black crystal.

"No! how did you do that!"

With one final strike, Spirit hacked apart the jewel, which shattered into nothingness. "Impossible! I'm stronger!" the demon yelled as his body began to turn to stone. Pieces of Bielzeetan cracked off, as his normally evil eyes were now showing nothing but terror.

"It can't end like this!" he howled as his now solidified body imploded and shattered into the souls he had taken over the ages. Each of the life essences flew into the earth, causing the landscape to glow a bright green. Everyone looked around in awe as flowers bloomed out of the wreckage, showing that the evil that had plagued all life had been put to an end.

"Spirit, we're not done yet..." he heard the soft, serene voice of the entity in his mind and he nodded. Marie suddenly left his body, making him considerably weaker and he fell to the ground, caught by Sora. Before them a swarm of heartless appeared, coming out of a white door, advancing towards the group of warriors as the pure white Marie spread her arms at the mass of darkness. Her entity started to disperse, light flowing all around, pushing the heartless back into the door, every last one of them. Finally, the door shut, and Sora raised his keyblade at it, glowing at the tip as a final locking sound was heard. Back at the house, Sephiroph looked over to Marie, as her breathing suddenly stopped, and all movement in her body ceased, not even a twitch of her fingers. The remaining foes retreated, knowing they didn't stand a chance. Spirit awoke some time later in his room, suddenly realizing something.

"Marie!" he ran over to her room, seeing her laying in bed with Sephiroth looking over her. Spirit gave her a slight nudge, just to see if she was okay. No response.

"Spirit... Marie is gone..." Sephiroth finally said.

"Huh? But... She's right here..." The swordsman shook his head.

"It's her heart... It's gone..."

Spirit looked blind sided, not knowing how to react.

"It can't be... There's no way..." he insisted. The Gaia kept trying to nudge her awake, but it was no use. "I won't believe it! You can't be gone!"

He pushed on her shoulder gently, getting the same result "She's only in a coma, she'll wake up sometime, it's always been that way!"  
"You must listen... I know it's hard to lose someone..." Sephiroph said as he lifted the orb "But you must accept she's gone, and take care of your future children... they'll need you without their mother..."  
He took the orb, and stroked its glassy exterior, whispering as if to say something to the unborn children "Don't listen to him, your mother's going to be okay..."  
But he was wrong. It continued for one painfully long week; after Spirit did his daily things, he'd take the orb and return to his bedroom to watch over Marie for the rest of the day. He never left her side, and Sora started bringing meals to his room so he wouldn't starve.  
"I know you're ok..." he rested his head on her chest, trying to hear a heart beat, but only received a silence "You said you don't have a heartbeat... so..."  
"She does..." Sephiroph said "Except it sounds very different from yours... that is only her vessel

for her elemental soul, and when she left it, she didn't get the chance to come back..."  
"I told you **that's not true!**" he yelled at him in agitation before turning to Marie with a frown "I know you're there... somewhere, I can feel it..."

"He'll learn in time..." Sephiroth whispered to himself, before leaving Spirit to be to himself. Many more weeks passed after this, soon leading into months. Meanwhile, on a pure white plain, Marie wandered aimlessly, not knowing where she was or what had happened; only knowing that she was missing someone. Memories faded by her, but she couldn't remember any of them. She then found a strange sight among the absence of color; a red scarf. She cried into it, but didn't know why. It seemed like any other scarf, but it held a meaning to her. As all this happened, Spirit remained by her lifeless body, still refusing to believe the truth.

"Please... wake up..." one night, Spirit found himself begging "It's not right without you... there's an empty feeling inside me..." tears rolled down his cheeks as he threw his arms around her, sobbing onto her chest "Please, please don't leave me!"  
Her body remained unresponsive, except for the sudden twitch of her finger. A glow came between the two, seeming to send energy into Marie's body as she awoke with a gasp, taking in air for the first time in ages. She raised an arm weakly, sore from idleness as she laid it upon Spirit's shoulder, staring out confused.  
"Wh-what happened to me?" she asked "Is Zeetan gone? Why are you crying, Spirit?"  
He stared at her, eyes wide in shock and didn't answer, hugging her tightly.

"Spirit? Why won't you answer?" she felt confused at first, but decided to not ask again and just return the warm embrace.

A few days later, Spirit received notice that the king and queen of Zarconia had died from unknown reasons, leaving his older brother, Taio, as the king.

"I didn't know you had a brother." Marie said in awe.

"He's actually the king and queen's true son, and he was always really nice to me. If he's ruling now, that means we can have our wedding there!" The two were overjoyed by this, and soon prepared for the big day. Gathering all their friends, they traveled to Zarconia to get ready. However, upon seeing the outfit she would wear, Marie became a little worried.

"Ummm... I really don't like dresses..." she said timidly at the sight of the elaborate kimono. "But it is Zarconian tradition." the fitting woman said.

"Isn't there something else I could wear? You know... pants, shorts... nothing at all?"  
Spirit blushed up at the suggestion, as the lady wrapped measuring tape around her waist, saying "Oh heavens, no, we can't have a bride run around naked..."  
"It's ok..." Spirit said, turning his face away to hide the blush "I'm sure you'll look beautiful in the dress..."  
She smiled a bit "Yeah... I just don't like 'em, that's all..."  
"The measurements are done!" the lady interrupted "We'll have your dress done by noon!"

"You hear that, Marie?" Spirit took her hand, causing her to blush.  
"Yeah, I get to be in a dress at noon..." she said sarcastically as he chuckled.  
"No, I mean we'll be married by sundown... you and me..." he hugged her gently, letting her listen to the comforting sound of his heart "Imagine it, you, a bride..."

The time soon came, and the ceremony took place in what looked like an open church with only pillars and a back wall, all made out of white marble. Spirit stood at the end, waiting for his true love's appearance. He saw her come up to him, blushing a bit from her clothes.

"How do I look?"

"I think you look beautiful... But there was never any doubt that you wouldn't." he answered in a somewhat mature manner. She smiled at him, then took his hand as they went down the aisle. "Today, we stand before the gods and the Gaias, and ask that these two may be joined in an unbreakable bond of the heart." the minister began. "Once this bond is created, no force shall be able to break it. So, Spirit Macardi, do you take Marie Elana to be your eternal wife?"

"I do..." Spirit said, gently holding onto Marie's hand.

"And do you, Marie Elana, take Spirit to be your eternal husband?"

"I do." the goddess spoke up after summoning all her courage.

"Then, by divine mandate, I pronounce you both husband and wife!"

"You may now kiss the bride..." Marie heard, turning to Spirit. Though she's kissed his cheek many times, this time was very different, and she felt a nervousness as their lips met one another. Through the intense blushing so many emotions flowed, happiness, joy, and soon the nervousness melt away as he took her in his arms shyly.   
"See, that wasn't so bad..." he whispered into her ear, though she heard his heart beat much faster than normal. She nodded, her blue eyes meeting his "It was actually... kinda nice... now can you fetch my pants?"  
He chuckled at this, and lifted her up "That can wait; for now, we must celebrate!"  
Marie nodded "**We need cake, and lots of it!**"

The rest of the night was spent eating and celebrating, and the next morning, they left back to Earth. Things seemed peaceful with Zeetan gone, and his followers soon met similar fates. The Space Pirates were captured by Samus Aran and the Galactic Federation on their home planet of Zebes, and their leader, Ridley, was placed under strict lock down. NME's forces were taken down by a team of remnant Star Warriors, though the mastermind himself was never found. Without Zeetan's dark energy to support his body, the evil Janga soon faded into nothingness; a cruel fate for a cruel villain. Vaati set off on his own to find a way to reverse the curse placed on his body, though whether or not he found it remains a mystery. Ansem and Seymour had their own agendas, and the young boy Riku remained a hostage in his own heart. However, Luce gained what she always wanted; freedom. With Zeetan no longer controlling her mind, she set off to find her place in life. Two days after all this, a miracle happened: The orb that Spirit and Marie had taken care of for months finally hatched on a visit to the temple in Cryssna. The children inside were a pair of orange furred hybrids. A boy with ears and wings like his mother, and a girl with pricked up ears with tufts of white at the end. Both had big, blue eyes like their parents, and seemed to carry with them a vast potential.

"They're beautiful..." Marie said as she gently cuddled the boy.

"Are we still going with the names we decided on?" Spirit asked as he petted the little girl. "Yes... Tsuki and Runoa fits them perfectly..."

"Meh..." Bendilen watched on, as the children stared up wide-eyed. Marie cradled her new baby boy, and shown him to the chaos deity.  
"And this is your godfather, Bendilen..." she said in a cheerful voice, as Runoa stretched out his arms, as if trying to touch the bigger Klonian with a smile. Even if Bendilen had a grudge against mortals, he came to accept Spirit, probably because of a feminine influence in his life.  
"I see great things in the future for them both..." he said, patting the infant gently as he grabbed onto his finger "One day they'll both be saving the universe for us..."  
Spirit chuckled "Not just yet though, it's not like we've retired..."

And so, while one story ends, another begins. Tsuki and Runoa have a world of good ahead of them; but where there is light, there is also shadow. Zeetan may be gone, but hatred and darkness still exist. In any case, the twins have their whole, immortal lives ahead of them, and who's to say what can happen in an eternity?


End file.
